Orlando International Airport is aiming to follow the success of Emirates year-old service to the airport by increasing its connectivity with Asian markets, particularly Japan and China.
Emirates launched Dubai flights to Orlando last September, and Victoria Jaramillo, senior director of marketing and air service development, says the success of the service is evident by the carrier’s upguaging the route from one being mainly operated with the Boeing 777-200LR to the larger 777-300ER. “That’s one hundred extra seats,” she says.
Orlando has greatly benefited from what she refers to as the “power of the Dubai hub.”
The Emirates service, she says, has also prompted international carriers to take a closer look at the potential of flying to Orlando.
One area Orlando is keen for growth is Japan. She says that Japan is Orlando’s biggest unserved market. The challenge for Japanese carriers is that this would be their longest sector length.
In addition, Orlando also receives large numbers of visitors coming in from China. Given the distance, a direct flight is not on the immediate horizon.
“The business case has to be solid for a direct flight to China,” she says.
Curiously, the other big Asian market for Orlando is Manila, mainly owing to the large numbers of Filipino nationals who serve aboard a cruise line operated by Disney.
Source: Cirium Dashboard
