Emirates (www.emirates.com), one of the fastest growing airlines in the world, announced that Johannesburg, the industrial and economic capital of South Africa, will be the next destination slated for its flagship A380 aircraft. The daily A380 service will start on 1 October 2011.
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 a surge in the number of South African travellers flying with Emirates – with total passenger growth up 12 percent over the previous financial year. Overall revenue from the South African market also rose sharply, up 34 percent 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 Tim Clark, President Emirates Airline. "The very positive trends we have witnessed over the last 12 months will only be boosted by the arrival of our flagship A380 aircraft, which has set a new benchmark for air travel.”
“Our A380 demonstrates the future of aviation - both in terms of passenger experience and environmental sensitivity," he added. "By launching the aircraft to Johannesburg, we are further underlining our commitment to serving South Africa and we anticipate very strong demand from leisure and business travellers keen to experience its unique features and unparalleled levels of comfort in the air.”
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; while 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 traveller’s needs or interests. The Emirates Holidays brochure, A World of Choice 2011-12, with a wide variety of exciting holiday ideas and suggestions has been launched this month.
Emirates currently serves 19 passenger and cargo destinations across the African continent.
Emirates operates flights on a daily schedule from Malta to Dubai via Larnaka, Cyprus.