Emirates Airline takes aim at Jamaica through codeshare deal
Published:Thursday | March 27, 2025 | 12:11 AMJanet Silvera/Gleaner Writer
Western Bureau:
In a move described by Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett as yet another milestone for Jamaica’s tourism sector, Emirates Airline, through a codeshare arrangement with Condor Airline, is set to become the first Middle Eastern airline to offer service to the English-speaking Caribbean.
A codeshare flight is one where one carrier markets and the other operates. It allows for carriers to sell seats on each other’s flights as part of an effort to offer customers an opportunity to choose from a large variety of destinations.
In explaining the genesis of the arrangement, Bartlett said it stemmed from a fruitful discussion he had with senior executives of Emirates Airline, which was part of an effort to see Jamaica becoming one of the hubs for the airline in the Caribbean.
“This, indeed, is a major, a mega achievement for Jamaica tourism. It began with the wider concept of opening the markets of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, the Middle East, and North America (MENA) area, and, of course, India, through the Dubai gateway,” said Bartlett. “As early as 2021, I met with the chairman of Emirates, Sheik Mohammed Al Matun and his team, along with my team, and we started working with the National Air Transportation Association (NATA) and other travel partners in the area to build out an arrangement that would allow for emirates to fly to Jamaica as the opening up of the Caribbean link with the market … the richest market of the world today.”
THE RIGHT TIME
According to Bartlett, the time is now right for such a partnership as he believes Jamaica has what it takes to attract visitors from the Middle East market.
“The time is right for a partnership of this kind, and Jamaica is ready to be inserted within the logistics as part of our efforts to tap into this lucrative Middle Eastern market. There is no doubt that we have the offerings that will not only attract more visitors from the Middle East but keep them coming back. This would be a game changer for the destination,” said Bartlett.
“Jamaica provides a great opportunity for Emirates Airline to be inserted in the region as a major airline partner. Through a hub and spoke arrangement, there can be a fruitful partnership that would see more visitors from the Middle East visiting Jamaica and the Caribbean and vice versa,” explained Bartlett.
Emirates Airline, which is based in Dubai, is one of the world’s fastest-growing airlines that connects its customers to a network of more than 150 destinations.
“So the commencement of this flight in April is a signature achievement, and it makes the point that Jamaica continues to expand its marketing footprints across the global space. Now we can talk about hubbing for the Caribbean. Now we can talk about multidestination tourism in a big way,” said Bartlett.
“And now we can certainly talk about how the supply side of tourism can be strengthened because Emma (Emirates Airline) is flying to Jamaica. We open up other opportunities for trade, for agricultural and manufactured goods to enter into the markets in the Middle East and elsewhere,” continued Bartlett.
“This is not just a signal for tourists, but it is a signal for our manufacturers and our agricultural producers and, indeed, our entertainers as well, who will now have access into those spaces as a result of this airline activity,” he added.