Emirates has announced that Johannesburg, the industrial and economic capital of South Africa, will be the next destination served by its flagship A380 aircraft, with a daily service starting on October 1.
The announcement of Emirates’ first scheduled A380 service to Africa comes as the airline unveiled its full year financial results for 2010-11.
These revealed an increase in the number of South African travellers flying with Emirates – with total passenger growth up 12 per cent over the previous financial year.
Overall revenue from the South African market also rose sharply, up 34 per cent from 2009-10.
“We have enjoyed a successful partnership with South Africa since launching services in 1995, and now connect our Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban gateways to our vast global network through 42 non-stop flights each week to Dubai,” said Emirates president Tim Clark.
“The very positive trends we have witnessed over the past 12 months will only be boosted by the arrival of our flagship A380 aircraft, which has set a new benchmark for air travel.”
Johannesburg is the most populous city in South Africa and capital of the Gauteng province, the country’s wealthiest province and home to approximately nine million residents. The city, which is located on the mineral-rich Witwatersrand range of hills, is also a thriving centre for the gold and diamond trade.
Emirates currently operates a three times daily service to Johannesburg, a double-daily service to Cape Town and a daily service to Durban.
The airline’s fleet of 15 A380s operate on services from Dubai to London Heathrow (double-daily), Manchester, Paris Charles de Gaulle, Toronto, Seoul, Bangkok, Beijing, Shanghai, Jeddah, New York, Hong Kong, Sydney and Auckland.
Emirates Holidays, the tour-operating arm of Dubai-based Emirates Airline, offers travel packages to South Africa which can be tailor-made according to the travellers’ needs or interests. The Emirates Holidays brochure, A World of Choice 2011-12, with a wide variety of exciting holiday ideas and suggestions, was launched earlier this month.
Emirates currently serves 19 passenger and cargo destinations across the African continent.
The airline operates flights on a daily schedule from Malta to Dubai via Larnaka, Cyprus.