Emirates has launched its first airport lounge in Africa at the OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, bringing the total number of lounges the airline has established across its network, for the exclusive use of its customers, to 23.

The Dubai-based airline has also unveiled plans to introduce three more Emirates lounges to cater for its First and Business Class passengers and frequent flyers over the next 12 months, to be located at Manchester, Birmingham and Hamburg airports.

To date, Emirates has invested around €120 million in expanding its lounge network worldwide. Including its newest in Johannesburg, the airline has opened four Emirates lounges in quick succession since April this year, the other three in Dusseldorf, Mumbai and Beijing.

Mohammed Mattar, Emirates' divisional senior vice president for airport services, said: "Emirates lounges continue to provide a luxurious sanctuary and unbeatable service to our cherished customers. Together with other value-added services such as Emirates chauffeur drive, dedicated check-in counters and priority baggage handling, the Emirates lounge is an integral part of our premium product."

Emirates began developing dedicated lounges outside of its Dubai hub in 2004. At Dubai International Airport, Emirates has two lounges located in its flagship Terminal 3 - one for First Class and one for Business Class passengers; and a lounge in Terminal 1.

Around the airline's global network, Emirates lounges are located at airports in Auckland, Bangkok, Beijing, Brisbane, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Johannesburg, Kuala Lumpur, London Gatwick, London Heathrow, Melbourne, Mumbai, Munich, New York - John F Kennedy, Paris - Charles de Gaulle, Perth, Singapore, Sydney and Zurich.

From its Dubai hub, Emirates currently operates services across six continents. Emirates flies daily from Dubai to Malta via Larnaca, Cyprus.