Emirates has further increased its presence across Africa with the introduction of additional flights to Entebbe in Uganda, Addis Ababa in Ethiopia and Johannesburg in South Africa.
Since the inaugural flight into Africa with Cairo as its first destination in 1986, Emirates has grown its presence on the continent and now serves 20 passenger and cargo gateways – increasing Africa’s connectivity and air transport market development.
Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer, said: “Africa has long been a priority region for Emirates and we will deepen our strategic focus on expansion and continued investment on the continent as an important anchor for our future network. The introduction of frequencies to our existing points in Uganda, South Africa and Ethiopia help support the region’s growth and provide critical links using Dubai as a key gateway to emerging economies across Asia and the Middle East.
“Over the past 30 years, Emirates has played a pivotal role in the development of the region’s aviation and tourism sectors – not just through scaling our operations but by establishing strategic partnerships with local governments, tourism boards and likeminded airline partners across the travel ecosystem to nurture the industry and realise its untapped potential.”
Increasing frequencies to maximise connectivity
From October 27, Emirates increased operations between Dubai and Uganda from five weekly flights to a daily service. Operated via a Boeing 777-300ER, the additional flight will add 718 seats to and from Dubai-Entebbe every week, connecting to onwards destinations from Dubai such as Canada, the US, India and the UK.
At the 2024 Arabian Travel Market, Emirates signed a memorandum of understanding with the Uganda Tourism Board aiming to encourage a diverse range of international travellers to experience the destination’s natural, cultural and adventure attractions.
Emirates will also increase frequency in Ethiopia with a daily flight connecting Dubai and Addis Ababa from January 1. By boosting its flight frequencies, Emirates will provide more convenient access, particularly for travellers from the Middle East and Far East.
This will be followed by the fourth daily flight to Johannesburg from March 1 with a morning slot to and from OR Tambo International Airport. The additional flight brings Emirates’ operations back to pre-pandemic levels with 49 weekly flights into South Africa.
Once all the additional frequencies are activated, Emirates will provide 161 weekly flights between African destinations and Dubai.
Expanding the network to serve more of Africa
In Africa, the airline’s footprint expands to over 210 regional points through five codeshare and 18 interline partners, providing access to more regional points via one-ticket travel and simplified baggage throughput.
Through its interline agreement with South African carrier CemAir, Emirates enables customers to visit leisure points such as Margate and Plettenberg Bay.
