Emirates cancels Durban and Alexandria and postpones LA and San Francisco.

The daily service between Dubai and Alexandria in Egypt operated by an Airbus A330 is being axed from September 10 while a new daily route from Dubai to Durban which was set to start in December and be operated by an A330 has been deferred until further notice. Emirates points out that its existing services to Egypt and South Africa will continue unchanged. The cancellation of the Durban route will be a blow to European travellers because there are few direct flight options. Emirates had timed this route launch to capitalise on the voluminous seasonal traffic flows between Europe and South Africa. According to an Emirates’ spokesman “although demand to Durban was strong and the route well received, the high price of fuel has forced Emirates to evaluate its route operations ever more closely.” In other news, late delivery of... [read full story]