Emirates to relaunch flights from London Gatwick airport in December

Whilst British Airways short-haul is saying goodbye to Gatwick, Emirates has announced that it will be returning from 10th December.

There will be one daily flight, operated by a 3-class Boeing 777-300ER.

The timings could be better but could also be a lot worse – the outbound leaves Gatwick at 13.35, meaning a 00.40 arrival into Dubai, whilst the return leaves Dubai at 07.40, landing in London at 11.40.

In theory, as a 777-300ER is scheduled, this service should see the astounding new Emirates First Class suite which I reviewed here. Pre-covid you could only get this if you were flying into London Stansted.

From 10th December, Emirates will be operating:

• 6 x daily flights to Heathrow (all A380)
• 1 x daily flight to Gatwick
• 2 x daily flights to Manchester (all A380)
• 10 x weekly flights to Birmingham
• 1 x daily flight to Glasgow
• 4 x weekly flights to Newcastle

…. for a total of 84 weekly services to the UK.

By year end, the airlines expects to be flying to 90% of its pre-covid destinations globally.

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How to earn Emirates Skywards miles from UK credit cards (April 2025)

Emirates Skywards does not have a UK credit card.  However, you can earn Emirates Skywards miles by converting Membership Rewards points earned from selected UK American Express cards.

Cards earning Membership Rewards points include:

• American Express Preferred Rewards Gold (review here, apply here) – sign-up bonus of 20,000 Membership Rewards points converts into 15,000 Emirates Skywards miles. This card is FREE for your first year and also comes with four free airport lounge passes.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on the ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 30,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (30,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

• The Platinum Card from American Express (review here, apply here) – sign-up bonus of 50,000 Membership Rewards points converts into 37,500 Emirates Skywards miles

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to a huge 80,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (80,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

• American Express Rewards credit card (review here, apply here) – sign-up bonus of 10,000 Membership Rewards points converts into 7,500 Emirates Skywards miles. This card is FREE for life.

Membership Rewards points convert at 4:3 into Emirates Skywards miles which is an attractive rate.  The cards above all earn 1 Membership Rewards point per £1 spent on your card, which converts to 0.75 Emirates Skywards miles

The American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card earns double points (2 per £1) on all flights you charge to it, not just with Emirates but with any airline.