Emirates Airline (EK) continues to witness growing customer demand on flights to and from the Philippines and expects to serve the return to pre-pandemic levels by the end of 2023, the Dubai-based flag carrier of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) told the Manila Bulletin.

Last year alone, Emirates carried 798,544 revenue passengers on 3,003 flights between Dubai and the Philippines.

Recently, Emirates Airline and Etihad Airways signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to expand their interline agreement, providing travelers additional itinerary options when visiting the UAE.

This first of its kind agreement between the two UAE carriers aims to boost passenger numbers and tourism to the UAE by enabling visitors to experience more than one destination in a single itinerary.

Customers of each airline will be able to buy a single ticket to fly into either Dubai or Abu Dhabi, with a seamless return via the other airport.

The new agreement also provides travellers planning to explore the UAE with the flexibility of one-stop ticketing for their full journey and convenient baggage check-in.

The ‘open jaw’ arrangement will allow visitors to cover as much ground as possible when exploring Abu Dhabi, Dubai or any other emirate, saving time by removing the need to fly home via their arrival airport.

Customers travelling into the UAE also have the option of ‘multi-city flights’, with the choice to travel from one city on both carriers’ networks, and conveniently returning to another point served by either Emirates or Etihad.