Enda Corneille to step down as Ireland manager of Emirates

Enda Corneille will stand down from his role as Ireland country manager of Emirates after eight years in the job. The announcement comes on the same day that the flagship carrier of the United Arab Emirates recommenced its twice-daily service between Dublin and Dubai after more than two years.

Mr Corneille told RTÉ Radio One′s Morning Ireland programme on Thursday that although he is “not hanging up his wings” entirely, the airline will now start the process of finding his replacement as he looks to “pass on the baton”.

However, the former director of corporate affairs at Aer Lingus said he is not interested in replacing Dalton Philips as chief executive of DAA when he vacates the position later this year. “It’s not on my radar,” Mr Corneille said. “I’m looking to do other things.”

A spokeswoman for Emirates said Mr Corneille initially planned to focus on his position as chairman of the Joint Arab Irish Chamber of Commerce and his teaching roles with Dublin City University and the University of Limerick, where he lectures in aviation.

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However, she said he would keep the door open to other opportunities.

News of Mr Corneille’s departure comes as Emirates resumes its twice-daily service from Dublin to Dubai after pausing flights on the route due to the impact of the pandemic in 2020.

Emirates said in a statement: “The reinstatement of the second daily flight, which had been suspended in March 2020 with the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, is good news not only for eastbound leisure and business passengers from Ireland, but for Ireland’s tourism industry too. With additional capacity on the Dublin route, there are once again more options for visitors looking to visit Ireland with Emirates, which marks 10 years of operations on the Dublin-Dubai route this year.”

In a statement on Thursday morning, Mr Corneille said the “appetite for international travel has surpassed our expectations and traffic to Dubai for the current period is up 448 per cent on the same period last year”.

He said that with the recommencement of the double daily service, Emirates was looking to recruit “even more crew from around the country”.