Emirates to launch Daily Flights to Durban in October

Emirates Airline is to launch flights to Durban from 1 October this year. The daily service will provide the only direct air link between Dubai and Durban, one of South Africa's host cities of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™.

Emirates, an Official Partner of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, already flies to Cape Town and Johannesburg. Durban will provide another gateway to the world's greatest football spectacle, one of South Africa's key tourism hubs and the busiest port in Africa.

Salem Obaidalla, Emirates' Senior Vice President, Africa, West Asia & Indian Ocean, said, "With 2010 just around the corner, this is a great time to be adding routes in South Africa. The third gateway will bring benefits to our passengers and KwaZulu-Natal province well before, during and long after the FIFA World Cup, so a good result for South Africa and its increasing ties with Dubai and the Emirates network beyond."

Dubai Export Development Corporation figures show exports from the UAE to South Africa reached AED 2.3 billion in 2007, whilst exports from South Africa to the UAE reached almost AED 2.7 billion in the same period. Emirates SkyCargo will support this trade and plans an office in Durban. The airline's freight arm will offer up to 13 tonnes of cargo capacity on each flight.

Flight EK775 will depart Dubai at 0445hrs, arriving at Durban International Airport at 1130hrs. The return flight, EK 776, will leave Durban at 1300hrs to get into Dubai at 2340hrs.

A 278-seat Airbus A330-200 in a two-class configuration will be deployed on the flight, lasting around 8hrs 45 minutes.

Emirates currently flies to 15 destinations in Africa. Services to Johannesburg started in 1995 and flights now leave Dubai three times a day. In March of last year, the airline started a daily service to Cape Town.

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