Emirates launches direct flights from Edinburgh to Dubai

The move comes after UAE rival Etihad announced it will abandon flights from the Scottish capital

Emirates, the giant Dubai-based airline, is seeking to extend its dominance of the aviation market between the UK and the Gulf with a new route from Edinburgh to Dubai.

Flights, using a Boeing 777, begin on 1 October. Emirates’ existing twice-daily service from Glasgow to Dubai will continue – as will the service from Newcastle.

The Dubai carrier is adding another London departure point, Stansted, in June. It also flies from Gatwick, Heathrow, Birmingham and Manchester.

Qatar Airways, based in Doha, launched a new route from Cardiff on 1 May.

Etihad, based in Abu Dhabi, is shrinking its UK operations to combat heavy losses after a series of disastrous investments in failing European airlines. It recently revealed a loss of £80 per passenger carried.

Services between Abu Dhabi and Edinburgh will end in October, along with services from the Etihad hub to Perth, Dallas and San Francisco.

Edinburgh Airport will be relieved to retain a connection to the Gulf.

The chief executive, Gordon Dewar, called the news “a clear statement that Edinburgh Airport is the gateway to Scotland”.

”The route enhances our connectivity to the Middle East and further afield as we access that long-haul network, giving us greater access and choice than ever before. It also back-fills the departure of Etihad even before that service ceases.”

Scotland’s transport minister, Humza Yousaf, said the new route “will give Scottish businesses even better access to global markets”.

Marc Crothall, chief executive of the Scottish Tourism Alliance said: “This is a very welcome announcement and great news for Scottish tourism; the link between Edinburgh and the world’s busiest airport presents a whole new wave of market opportunities for Scotland’s tourism industry.”

The link may cause gloom among European carriers such as Air France-KLM, British Airways and Lufthansa, who are likely to lose some business to Asia which currently goes through their hubs.

Edinburgh Airport will also get a nonstop flight to Beijing on Hainan Airlines from June 2018.