Emirates has continued its services into Africa, with plans to commence operations into the Angolan capital of Luanda. The new operations which starts on August 2, 2009, would make Luanda the airline's 17th destination on the continent.
The route would be the second to be opened in Africa flights within just two weeks, as the airline had earlier announced Durban as another African destination it would be flying into with effect from October 1, 2009.
According to the airline, the thrice weekly Luanda flights will allow Angola to further embrace international trade by being brought into the six continent-wide Emirates' network.
Emirates said an Airbus A330-200 would serve the route, which will help support the nation's oil-led boom, the emerging tourism market and the thousands of migrant workers, many of whom are from China.
Tim Clark, President, Emirates Airline, said: "This new Luanda flight provides enormous potential to develop flights into Angola , alongside the assistance we can provide for international trade through Emirates SkyCargo.
"In the past year, we have seen strong growth in Africa of 17%. Now, with Luanda starting in August and Durban flights starting later in the year, this is going to be another very exciting year in this largely untapped continent." Angola, around five times the size of the UK , lies on the Atlantic coast of south-central Africa. It is the continent's second largest oil exporter after Nigeria .
With four major ports along an expansive coastline, the nation is a natural transhipment point for the region. The country has abundant natural resources including oil, diamonds, gold, iron, copper and uranium.
The airline said the timing of the flight from Dubai into Luanda would allow good connectivity, with arrivals from Emirates' points in Asia and Australia. Meanwhile, the flight coming into Dubai, according to Emirates, provides smooth connectivity with all flights to Europe, the Middle East and the Americas.
It added that Emirates SkyCargo would provide up to 12 tonnes of cargo capacity in the bellyhold of each aircraft with imports expected to include consumer goods, electronics, telecommunications products and oil related equipment and spares. Perishables, such as fruit and flowers, are expected to feature amongst exports.
Dubai-based Emirates started flights to Lagos Africa in 1986, serving Cairo. Around 4,000 Africans are now employed throughout the Emirates Group.Since establishing itself as an airline in 1985, Emirates has rapidly expanded into a major transcontinental travel and tourism conglomerate. The airline now flies to six continents with a fleet of 132 aircraft, including four double-decker A380s.
