Not An Obvious Widebody Destination: Why Does Emirates Fly To London Stansted Airport?

In December 2017, Dubai-based Emirates announced it would start flying between Dubai International Airport (DXB) and London Stansted Airport (STN) on June 8, 2018. At the time, Emirates had six daily flights between Dubai International Airport (DXB) and London Heathrow (LHR) and three daily flights to London Gatwick Airport (LGW). The announcement that they were introducing a daily flight raised a few eyebrows initially, yet it makes perfect sense when you look at why.