Airlines Emirates to launch route between Barcelona and Mexico City

According to an announcement made by Spain's Secretary of State for Infrastructure, Transport and Housing, Julio Gómez-Pomar, Emirates was given the green light to start scheduled flights as fifth freedom route.

The announcement was made in Dubai after Gómez-Pomar´s meeting with Emirates Vice President Salem Obaidalla. To operate the route, a specific permission was needed, since the route was not contemplated under the air transport agreements between the UAE and Spain.

Emirates has been looking to operate a route to Mexico City for several years. Due to the high altitude in of Mexico City Airport, a direct flight from Dubai is not possible. In 2016, Emirates applied to operating the route to Mexico City from Zurich Airport, which got denied by the Swiss Civil Aviation Authority.

Emirates aims to launch its Mexico City flights from Barcelona soon as possible before the end of 2018. According to the statement, 95,000 seats will be offered in each direction. The carrier expects 150,000 passengers per year. As further commitment to its operations to Barcelona, Emirates will launch a third daily flight from Dubai soon.

Emirates is a long-haul airline, headquartered in Dubai (United Arab Emirates). The carrier’s fleet measures over 260 widebody aircraft, including over 100 Airbus A380 and over 160 Boeing 777-300ER. The airline has ordered a MoU for 36 additional A380 in January this year. Emirates serves 161 destinations in 86 countries.