An estimated 275,000 new jobs may be available in Dubai for the staging of theWorld Expo 2020, reports say, and is expected to be filled by many Filipinos; prompting Abdalla Al Zamani, the country manager of Emirates Airline in the Philippines, to say that there would be a need to increase the number of flights between the two countries.
The forecasted boom in Expo jobs covers the areas of medical services, engineering, and information technology, as disclosed by Zamani at a press briefing which included journalists.
This possible increase in the employment of Filipinos to Dubai, the country manager said, may necessitate an increase in the number of flights to the Middle East commercial and aviation hub; thus, he calls on the Philippine government to start the bilateral air talks so this may become possible.
(Photo Credit: arabianbusiness.com)
The Emirates used to have three flights daily between Manila and Dubai, but the Civil Aviation Board(CAB) cut the number of Emirates flights down to two a day since January of this year; reportedly due to the non-renewal of its codeshare agreement with a local carrier.
Similarly, the Philippine Airlines also flies two times daily to Dubai.
Zamani made it known during the press briefing that the ideal number of flights is 40 per week; as there are around 800,000 overseas Filipino workers in Dubai, and the number of flights is not sufficient to accommodate the demand for OFWs who go back and forth for their vacation and return to work. More over, the number is expected to grow significantly in the lead-up to the Emirate’s hosting of the Expo 2020 event.
Despite the number of airlines presently servicing the route, there is still room for more flights, the country manager of Emirates Airline reiterated.
In line with a statement issued last month by a spokesperson from the Emirates, they are urging the CAB to reconsider its decision, and allow the resumption of Emirates’ third daily flight “at the earliest opportunity, as reported in Arabian Business.
“In the interest of consumers and the business community, we also hope that the long overdue bilateral aviation talks between the Governments of the Philippines and the UAE to address the urgent requirement for additional capacity on the Manila – Dubai route will take place as soon as possible,” as per the issued statement.
