The Art of Business Travel.com talks with  Emirates vice president for Hong Kong, Guangzhou & Taiwan Edwin Lau, about the airline’s offering to business travellers, it’s growth potential, and its integration of technology in the skies above Asia. By Nick Walton

How important is the Asia market to Emirates’ future growth?

Asia is an important market for us. With the development of China’s aviation market and the exponential trade growth between the Middle East and Asia, we expect to see rapid growth of the aviation industry in the regions, and increasing numbers of visitors from Asia to the Middle East, Africa, and Europe.

Emirates has been a big advocate of the Airbus A380. What has the superjumbo allowed the airline to do in terms of additional destinations and capacity?

We continue to introduce more A380 services to different destinations, including a sixth daily A380 service to Australia and a second daily service to Singapore. In July, we announced the fourth daily A380 service between Dubai and Bangkok with the up-gauge of its current services from December 1. These  additional A380 services are instrumental in helping us meet growing passenger demand, and  help to deliver substantial economic benefits through travel connections and inbound seats.

Emirates is the world’s largest operator of the spacious A380 aircraft, with 65 in the fleet and 75 on order. An industry benchmark for onboard innovation and comforts, Emirates’ A380s serve 35 global destinations (including Dubai) including in Asia-Pacific Auckland, Bangkok, Beijing, Brisbane, Hong Kong, Melbourne, Perth, Seoul, Singapore, Shanghai and Sydney.

Asia is spoiled for choice when it comes to direct flights to many parts of the world, including Europe. How does Emirates overcome the obstacle of a stopover that often occurs in the middle of the night?

Firstly, Emirates services connect well with many destinations to and from Dubai, giving passengers seamless connectivity to other destinations. Secondly, as a special courtesy to our passengers, in certain cases where an itinerary calls for a longer stopover in Dubai (longer than eight hours), Emirates will provide accommodation, meals, ground transportation and visa costs to passengers.

For example, First Class and Business Class passengers for whom the best connection time is not available and with a transit of more than six hours and less than 24 hours upon arrival in Dubai, can book the Dubai Connect service online. As for Economy Class passengers, they can book this service when they have  a transit time of more than eight hours and less than 24 hours.

Finally, Emirates’ A380 concourse at Dubai International Airport, which caters solely for Emirates airline flights, is spread over 500,000sqm and 11 levels. It features 20 gates and four remote gates, all capable of accommodating an aircraft as large as an Airbus A380. It’s the first facility of its kind in the world in which customers will enjoy their stopover as an unsurpassed travel experience with an amazing range of shops, dining outlets and world-class lounges close by.

From direct lounge boarding for First Class and Business Class customers to an expansive duty free shopping area, food courts, cafes and fine dining options, a Timeless Spa and the largest First Class and Business Class lounges in the world, the concourse also offers a dedicated hotel floor with both a four and five star offering. Passengers are transported between Terminal 3 and Concourse A by underground trains and shuttle buses from where they can depart through 20 gates when the facility becomes fully operational.

In terms of business travel, what innovations has the airline employed across all cabins to make life easier for corporate travellers at 40,000ft?

Emirates has made every effort to increase customers’ personal comfort — from extra seating space and massage functionality, to lighting which is designed to reduce the effects of jetlag.

First Class passengers can relax in one of 14 flat-bed, massage-equipped Private Suites or visit the two exquisitely designed onboard Shower Spas (the world’s first), which ensures passengers are revitalised and refreshed on arrival and which feature hairdryers, perfumes by Bvlgari, Timeless Spa toiletries, heated floors and a full-length mirror.

In Business Class, passengers can relax in seats that convert to flat beds up to 87 inches (two metres) long, whilst those travelling in Economy Class can stretch out in seats with a pitch of up to 33 inches.

Also, the A380 Onboard Lounge – exclusive to First Class and Business Class customers – allows passengers to relax, socialise and network over fine wines and cocktails while enjoying canapés prepared by five-star chefs.

Many airlines in Asia have introduced premium economy products with the business traveller in mind. Does Emirates have any plans to create such a class?

So far Emirates has no plan to introduce the premium economy class products.

Emirates is one of the few airlines to offer complimentary internet access in flight, across all classes. How has this amenity been adopted by business travellers?

In the first three years since Emirates launched inflight Wi-Fi connectivity, more than half a million passengers have connected to the internet onboard an Emirates flight, and usage is rising in tandem with the growing penetration of mobile devices and changing lifestyles. Today, customers onboard Emirates can connect to Wi-Fi, send emails and text messages via their personal ice entertainment system screens, as well as use their personal mobile devices to make calls and send messages..

Many corporate travellers are dependent on airline alliances for corporate rates and point allocation but Emirates has always been clear it would rather team up with individual airlines like Qantas rather than join a formal alliance. Does the airline have any plans to partner with Asian carriers and do you think the alliance stance will ever shift?

Our business strategy is to grow organically. We are constantly considering a wide range of commercial opportunities and pursue strategic cooperation that makes commercial sense and is pro-consumer in terms of choice of destinations, end-to-end customer experience and carrier cost synergy benefits. Just this month, Emirates has signed a new codeshare agreement with Bangkok Airways, adding 19 routes and 14 new destinations to the Emirates network. Together with Bangkok Airways, we are taking more people to more places and opening up new South East Asian destinations to people around the world.

For more insight into the Emirates business class experience check out out newest inflight review.