Emirates wants more Dubai-Manila flights

Emirates, one of the biggest airlines in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), is eyeing to expand its capacity in the country by adding more direct flights from Dubai to Manila as it sees the potential of the Philippines' aggressive tourism plan.

"We are requesting the government to allow us more flights to the country," Emirates country head Satish Sethi told reporters in a briefing in Makati City.

Sethi said that talks between the governments of the Philippines and UAE earlier this year were "unfortunate" as no decision has been reached yet regarding the Middle Eastern country's request to have more flights to Manila.

"I was very much involved in those talks. We haven't run in full capacity as Manila is constrained... but it is still not a closed door," the Emirates official said.

"The Department of Transportation has been very flexible to Emirates and they have been very supportive. It's a work in progress and we are hoping for the talks to happen again soon," he added.

Asked how many more Dubai-Manila flights the Emirates is planning, Sethi said the airline has not yet arrived at a number as negotiations are still ongoing.

"Those talks are a request from the government of UAE to the government of the Philippines, which includes all airlines so it won't be fair for me to be specific," he said.

Currently, Emirates flies 18 flights weekly from Dubai to Manila.

"We are taking advantage of the Philippine government's agenda of promoting tourism... So we believe there is more potential for more tourists to come here," Sethi said.

The Department of Tourism is targeting to hit 12 million visitors to the Philippines by 2022.

"I have seen the passengers grow. I have seen the demand grow. That's on the rise. We are confident and we see a lot of optimism in the coming years," Sethi said.

"So if and when we would have approvals to fly more, we would love to have more flights here in Manila," he added. —KG, GMA News