A significant initial outcome of last year's airberlin-Etihad alliance is the capacity increase airberlin and Etihad have implemented over the past week between Germany and Abu Dhabi. Emirates has responded with its own capacity increases, the fact of which is unsurprising. What is interesting is how Emirates had operated to the restrictive and limited German market with A340-300s, which it is in the process of disposing. Emirates in recent times had largely confined the A340-300, with older and less premium interiors, to secondary markets, but the rapid increase in competition in the form of airberlin-Etihad is seeing Emirates deploy its more competitive Boeing 777-300s.
Emirates will upgrade three daily services – one each from Munich, Dusseldorf and Frankfurt – to 777-300ER equipment. Some services from Munich and Dusseldorf had been operated by A340-300s, while Frankfurt saw one of three daily services operated by the A330-200, which like the A340-300 does not boast Emirates latest product standard. The equipment changes will also bring double-digit capacity increases on the routes.
Emirates Dubai-Germany network changes: Mar-2012 to Oct-2012
| Route | Change | Effective date | Total route capacity increase |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dubai-Dusseldorf | One of two daily services changed from A340-300 to 777-300ER, bringing both services to 777-300/300ER | 01-Jun-2012 | 16% |
| Dubai-Frankfurt | One of three daily services changed from A330-200 to 777-300ER, bringing all services to 777-300ER | 01-Oct-2012 | 13% |
| Dubai-Munich | One of two daily services changed from A340-300 to 777-300ER, bringing services to A380/777-300ER | 25-Mar-2012 | 14% |
Germany was an unusual market for the A340-300 and A330-200. Emirates has been typically deploying these aircraft on short sectors or to second-tier cities – less important for Emirates premium products – as it waits for more 777-300ERs, largely replacing aircraft with older products or which are less fuel efficient.
A330-200 and A340-300 markets for Emirates: 26-Mar-2012 to 01-Apr-2012
| A330-200 | A340-300 |
|---|---|
|
Basrah Frankfurt Kuwait City Luanda Sana'a |
Bangalore Dakar Dar Es Saalam Doha Dusseldorf Hyderabad Muscat Saint Petersburg Venice |
The increases follow airberlin and Etihad's recent changes between the UAE and Germany.
airberlin and Etihad UAE-Germany network changes summary: Jan-2012 to Oct-2012
| Route | Carrier | Change | Effective date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Berlin-Dubai | airberlin | Four-times weekly Dubai service shifted to Abu Dhabi | 15-Jan-2012 |
| Berlin-Abu Dhabi | airberlin | Service brought to daily frequency | 25-Mar-2012 |
| Dusseldorf-Abu Dhabi | airberlin | Daily service introduced | 25-Mar-2012 |
| Dusseldorf-Abu Dhabi | Etihad | Four times weekly service increased to daily frequency | Apr-2012 |
The capacity changes are seeing large increases in total Germany-UAE traffic.
Weekly seats offered between Germany and the UAE: Select dates 2012
| 19-Mar-2012 to 25-Mar-2012 | 26-Mar-2012 to 01-Apr-2012 | 04-Jun-2012 to 10-Jun-2012 | |
| Emirates | 22,615 | 23,018 | 23,436 |
| Etihad Airways | 6313 | 6297 | 7097 |
| Lufthansa | 5903 | 5374 | 5493 |
| airberlin | 1515 | 4242 | 4242 |
| Condor | 1260 | 1260 | 0 |