EMIRATES: Direct and induced employment of 560 Cypriots in Cyprus and Dubai

In addition to check-in staff and back-office positions, the airline contributes to the Cypriot economy on a daily basis through purchases of a range of goods and services that include airport and landing fees, ground handling and baggage handling, fuel, IT services, advertising, car rentals and chauffeur driver services, and maintenance services. While this activity has a multiplier effect for the Cypriot economy, Emirates also provides Cyprus with a vital link to the East.

"Cyprus was among the first European countries to be served by Emirates joining the Dubai-based global network in 1994. From the original three flights per week 21 years ago, today Emirates links Cyprus to Dubai and beyond, on a daily basis, offering an incalculable value to Cyprus in terms of connectivity," said Hermes Airports CEO, Wes Porter. “During the last 21 years, through its uninterrupted service to Cyprus, Emirates has affirmed its commitment to Cyprus by upgrading its capacity to meet the growing passenger demand and enhancing trade opportunities."

Ranked as the major scheduled carrier out of Cyprus, Emirates links travellers from Cyprus with over 100 destinations via Dubai to the east and with Malta. Emirates presently offers 474 seats into and out of Cyprus – on a daily basis – serving as the ideal carrier for business and leisure travellers from the Far East to visit and do business in Cyprus.

Emirates has a direct positive impact on the Cyprus economy itself. In addition to passenger services, Emirates SkyCargo offers a belly-hold capacity on 13 tonnes on Airbus330-200, further increasing trade prospects for Cyprus across the Emirates network. Key exports from Cyprus include pharmaceuticals and refrigerated goods, while the main imports are technical and mechanical equipment, pharmaceuticals, live fish, flowers, and fresh vegetables.

Sir Tim Clark, President of Emirates Airline, commented: "Emirates is fully committed to the European market. The relationship goes back to 1987 when we first started flying from Dubai to London Gatwick. Cyprus was the eighth (8th) European destination and the 26th country worldwide.

“Today, Emirates operate over 350 passenger flights a week from Europe, providing global connectivity via our hub in Dubai. Emirates’ economic impact is significant; based on Frontier’s report, we supported over one hundred thousand jobs across Europe through our operations and our aircraft purchases from Airbus. By stimulating demand for travel and cargo, especially in markets underserved by other airlines, Emirates contributes to the economies of the communities we serve," said Sir Tim Clark.

The study conducted by Frontier demonstrates that Emirates’ presence in 28 European destinations, including Cyprus, significantly contributes to regional development, especially in non-hub markets that have traditionally been overlooked by other carriers.

Dan Elliott, Founder and Director of Frontier Economics, stated: “Our research shows that the direct, indirect and induced impact of Emirates’ operations and the development of connectivity to secondary European cities in particular, makes a substantial contribution to EU GDP. The economic this connectivity brings to the EU is at times underappreciated, and something that merits attention."

The Frontier analysis, which covered 28 cities served by Emirates in 16 EU Member States, identified a total of 220 routes from Europe that are unique to Emirates. 21 of these are non-stop connections from European cities to Dubai, and the remaining 199 routes are unique one-stop connections, via Dubai. Using any other airline or alliance on these unique routes would require at least one more additional stop.

"The connectivity Emirates provides through these 220 unique routes positively impacts FDI and trade and supports the development of regional centres. It also increases tourism, provides choice for the consumer and supports air cargo shipments to and from regional centres", commented Dan Elliott. "We estimate that an additional 3,000 jobs are facilitated through the catalytic impact of the 220 unique connections, equivalent to €215m of GDP, taking Emirates’ total contribution to €6.8 billion."

Considering the breadth of Emirates’ network and how air travel demand is expected to double in the next 5-10 years, Emirates’ is well positioned to bring a growing number of tourists and business travellers to Europe, further enabling trade and investment.