Emirates ramps up operations in Africa
November 3, 2024
Emirates has expanded its African network by adding flights to Entebbe, Uganda; Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; and Johannesburg, South Africa.
Since launching its first African route to Cairo in 1986, Emirates has grown its operations across Africa, now connecting 20 passenger and cargo airports.
From 27 October, Emirates increased its Dubai-Entebbe route to daily service, up from five weekly flights. Operated on a Boeing 777-300ER, the new schedule adds 718 weekly seats on the route.
Starting January 1, 2025, Emirates will increase service to Ethiopia with daily flights between Dubai and Addis Ababa.
From March 1, 2025, Emirates will introduce a fourth daily flight to Johannesburg, adding a new morning slot to its schedule at South Africa’s largest international airport.
With these additional frequencies, Emirates will operate 161 weekly flights between Dubai and Africa, connecting travelers from 17 African countries to 63 global destinations.
Emirates’ reach across Africa is further amplified through 210 additional regional points via five codeshare and 18 interline partnerships.
In Morocco, for instance, Emirates’ interline agreement with Royal Air Maroc provides access to 18 domestic points, including Fez, Tangiers, and Marrakech, as well as 17 more routes beyond Dubai.
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 of 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 last 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.”
