Emirates Airline signs Liberty Air Services, Australia

Emirates Airline, in joint co-operation with Airport Services Department in Brisbane, Australia has announced the appointment of Liberty Air Services as the airline’s dedicated ground handling agent at Brisbane International Airport, in preparation for its inaugural flight to the city on 26th October.

The agreement is a three-year contract for passenger check-in and aircraft handling services.

Emirates is fast laying the groundwork for its planned new services to Brisbane that will fly onwards to Auckland. Operating a Boeing 777-300 in a three-class configuration - 18 First, 42 Business and 320 Economy Class seats - with the capacity to carry 23 tonnes of cargo either way.

Bill McPherson, Regional Manager Airport Services, Emirates Airline said: “Brisbane is set to be an exciting new destination on the Emirates network, giving us enormous new opportunities to serve our Australian network better. It is therefore doubly important for us to provide our passengers with the best possible service standards and we feel that Liberty Air Services will fit our requirements very well. We look forward to a long and mutually rewarding partnership.”

Emirates is already very active on the ANZAC route, currently serving three destinations within Australia with dailies to Melbourne, Perth and Sydney. The airline also started double dailies to Auckland via Melbourne and Sydney on 1st August, increasing to triple dailies with the launch of the Brisbane service. It will also commence non-stop flights to Sydney on 26th October, on receiving the first of its A340-500 aircraft.

Liberty Air Services has been established as a joint venture by Patrick Corporation, a multinational in transport and logistics and Virgin Blue, one of Australia’s successful domestic carriers. 

Anthony Lutterschmidt, General Manager, Liberty Air Services said: “We are delighted with this opportunity to be associated with the world's premier airline. Emirates recently announced the world's largest aircraft order and has shown great commitment to the Australian market. The contract is a timely one and will add support to Liberty offering 'full-service' Ground Handling to its international airline customers. The synergies identified during the tender process with Emirates provide for numerous opportunities as both organisations continue their development in this region.”