Boost for budget travellers as Emirates plans return to London Stansted

The gradual restoration of pre-pandemic services by Emirates continues, with flights between London Stansted and Dubai returning from 1 August.

During the first month the Boeing 777 departure will operate five times weekly, but this goes daily from 1 September.

The link with the Essex airport was cut in March 2020 as the coronavirus pandemic began.

The outbound flight, coded EK65, goes overnight – departing Stansted at 9.10pm and arriving seven hours later in Dubai at 7.10am local time.

Returning to the UK, EK068 will leave Dubai at 8.50am, arriving in Stansted at 1.30pm after a flight of seven hours and 40 minutes.

Steve Griffiths, managing director of Stansted, said: “The route is of huge importance to London and the East of England, providing a vital link between the two destinations and beyond, thanks to the airline’s extensive onward network.“

By October 2022, the airline will be serving the UK with 110 weekly flights, including six times daily from London Heathrow, three daily from Manchester, double daily from Birmingham and Gatwick, daily from Glasgow and five weekly flights from Newcastle.

Edinburgh has yet to return to the Emirates network.

Richard Jewsbury, Emirates’ divisional vice-president in the UK, said: “The UK is Emirates’ most important international market and bookings have continued to surge with the further easing of travel restrictions.”

Emirates has also announced that services from Dubai to Bali will resume on 1 May.

Stansted fares tend to be lower than those from Heathrow and Gatwick.

On a test booking from London to Bali on 1 November for a fortnight, Stansted was £5 cheaper than Gatwick and £42 less than Heathrow. The lowest fare was £791 return.

Over the next few weeks and months Emirates is stepping up services to a wide range of locations, including Abuja and Lagos in Nigeria, Mauritius and Singapore.