Emirates Airline is entering the second decade of its operations in Nigeria with a plan to boost its Nigeria-China route.
This is a key strategy for Mr. Afzal Parambil, the airline’s new regional manager, West Africa commercial operations.
Parambil is continually combing Asia generally for new destinations but with a special focus on China.
Speaking with journalists in Lagos at the weekend, he said this was in view of the growing importance of China for Nigerian business and economy.
Emirates Airline presently operates 20 destinations in 13 Asian countries and is taking steps to exploit growing business and social interests between Nigeria and China.
According to Parambil, in addition to a growing number of Nigeria businessmen going to China for goods supplies, there is a new trend of Nigerian families travelling to China.
In the past, it used to be Nigerian traders going to source goods from China but it is now going beyond that to forging partnerships in manufacturing and families traveling on visits, he said.
“We are here to optimize the Nigerian market and create choices for customers”, he said. This will happen in respect of bringing in manufacturers and investors as well as tourists from Beijing to Lagos, as the tourism industry in Nigeria continues to develop, Parambil said.
On the other hand, Nigeria is a big investment destination for China, which is generating an increasing two-way traffic.
This is the opportunity Parambil has identified on the Nigeria-China route. An airline is successful if there is traffic on either side, he said.
The airline is building new capacity for the increasing business opportunities in new destinations it is planning ahead.
According to Parambil, the company will have a fleet of 300 aircraft in the next two years, which will include engaging an additional 44 A380 aircrafts.
Emirates Airline controls between 25-30% of the Nigerian air travels market, according to Parambil and plans to resume Abuja flights and increase Lagos flights soon. The company suspended flights to Abuja last year in the heat of economic downturn and the associated foreign exchange remittance crisis. The problem has been resolved substantially, Parambil said.
The regional manager also highlighted the airline’s re-launch of the Guangzhou route in the effort to increase China destinations with the aim of increasing the choices available to business and tourist travelers to China. He said the re-launch of the route was a market-led decision in the light of budding commercial activities between the Nigeria-China destinations.
Guangzhou is central to the growing partnerships between Nigerian and Chinese entrepreneurs in the area of manufacturing as many manufacturing concerns are based there, Parambil said.
The airline’s customer-oriented services include the over 2,400 viewing channels on board its aircraft to all its destinations ranging from movies, live news channels, sports to special programmes and games for the kids. Its employment policy that incorporates 172 nationals also gives it a uniqueness that appeals to travelers all over the world.
Its crew members reflect this mix of nationalities. Parambil said this is made to ensure that passengers are very likely to see a crew member of their nationality when flying so that they feel a sense of close association.
Other incentives for passengers include a more accommodating baggage policy particularly to Nigerians whom Parambil said fly with plenty of baggage. This, he said, is in response to the demands of the market, as Nigerians don’t travel and come back empty-handed.
