For several years, the United Arab Emirates have been seeking to strengthen their presence in Africa.
Thus, the Emirates airline is strengthening its presence in Africa with the introduction of additional flights to Entebbe (Uganda), Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) and Johannesburg (South Africa).
Since October 27, Emirates has ramped up its operations between Dubai and Uganda, moving from five weekly flights to a daily service.
Operated by a Boeing 777-300ER, the additional flight will add 718 seats per week between Dubai and Entebbe, connecting popular destinations from Dubai such as Canada, the United States, India and the United Kingdom, for n 'to name just a few. Emirates is the only airline to offer First Class to and from Entebbe.
The initiative builds on Emirates' two-decade commitment to Uganda, a vibrant jewel in the airline's extensive global network and a growing tourism destination.
During the Arabian Travel Market 2024, Emirates signed a memorandum of understanding with the Uganda Tourism Board, aiming, according to it, “to encourage a wide range of international travelers to discover the destination’s wealth of natural, cultural and leisure attractions.”
The increase in frequencies will further support this objective, as Uganda continues to invest in the development of its tourism offering.
To celebrate the new year, this UAE giant will also increase the frequency of its flights to Ethiopia (Africa), with a daily flight connecting Dubai to Addis Ababa from January 1, 2025.
The number of visitors to Ethiopia continues to grow, driven by the vision of making Ethiopia one of the top five tourism destinations in Africa by 2025.
A fourth daily flight to Johannesburg will quickly follow, which, from March 1, 2025, will introduce an early morning time slot to and from South Africa's largest and busiest international airport.
This additional flight brings Emirates operations back to pre-pandemic levels, with 49 weekly flights to South Africa, one of the airline's most in-demand destinations in Africa.
Once the additional frequencies are activated, Emirates will operate 161 weekly flights between African destinations (in 17 countries) and Dubai.
Since its first flight to Africa in 1986, with Cairo as its first destination, Emirates has gradually increased its presence on the continent and now serves 20 passenger and cargo destinations.
With 5 codeshare agreements and 18 interline partnerships, its network extends to more than 210 regional destinations “via simplified travel with a single ticket and more efficient baggage management”.
For example, Emirates signed an interline agreement with Royal Air Maroc in 2023, offering travelers 18 additional entry points into Morocco, such as Fez, Tangier, Marrakech and many others, as well as 17 additional routes via Dubai on an interline basis.
Earlier this month, Emirates also made its long-awaited return to Lagos, connecting Nigeria's economic hub to its global network with a daily direct flight.
