Emirates expects single-digit US capacity rise in 2018: Executive

Emirates airline expects a single-digit percentage increase in its US capacity in 2018, a company executive said Friday, as sales rebound after travel restrictions imposed by the Trump administration weakened demand from the Middle East early last year. Matt Schmid, senior VP, Emirates North America, said that travel demand to and from the US is back at levels from before January 2017. Emirates has already increased the number of flights on some US routes it had reduced in spring 2017 after US govt travel restrictions weakened demand. "Now we are really back on track," he said. "Demand is extremely strong again." The carrier is also adding capacity in Canada, expanding its A380 service to the country's largest city, Toronto, effective Aug 18. Schmid said Toronto has one of the airline network's highest seat load factors. <br/>