Emirates is reaffirming its support for the tourism industry in the Seychelles and will also be offering travelers from Germany more choice and flexibility in future: by the end of the year, the airline will be flying 14 times a week from its hub in Dubai to the island archipelago in the Indian Ocean. Emirates is strengthening its commitment to South Africa and will be offering a second daily non-stop flight from the Dubai hub to Cape Town from March 27, 2011. The additional flight connection offers leisure and business travelers from Germany more choice and flexibility in their travel planning. With the launch of the new scheduled service, Emirates will fly 42 times a week to three destinations in South Africa: Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town.
From March 28, 2011, the frequency will initially increase to twelve weekly scheduled flights. Two additional flights will be added to the winter timetable, increasing the frequency to two daily connections. This represents a 100 percent increase in Emirates’ current flight offering to the Seychelles.
The Dubai-based international airline has been offering scheduled flights to the Seychelles since 2005. At a meeting with the President of the Republic of Seychelles, James Michael, Emirates once again described itself as a partner of the local tourism industry and reaffirmed its continued active support.
Majid Al Mualla, Emirates’ Senior Vice President Commercial Operations – West Asia & Indian Ocean, said: “We are increasing our capacity between Dubai and the Seychelles by 350 percent compared to January 2010. The additional service and the success of the route is a result of our efforts and investments to promote Seychelles as a destination within our network. We would like to thank the Government of Seychelles for the trust they have placed in us. We will continue to work closely with the Seychelles Tourism Board to continue the successful promotion of Seychelles as a destination.”
Alain St. Ange, Chief Executive Officer of the Seychelles Tourism Board: “We are delighted with the announcement of two daily flights by Emirates. This development is in line with our new vision of an open skies policy. The problem of insufficient seating capacity is a thing of the past.”
The Dubai-based international airline currently serves 19 passenger and cargo destinations on the African continent. Volker Greiner, Emirates Vice President North & Central Europe: “We are pleased to be able to meet the increasing demand from Germany for connections to Cape Town with this additional service and to offer passengers more flexibility. South Africa is one of our most important markets. As the Official Airline of the FIFA World Cup, Emirates brought fans around the world to South Africa last year.”
Emirates will be using Airbus A340-500 jets in a three-class configuration on the new route, offering 12 exclusive First Class suites and 42 modern reclining seats on board. The award-winning “ice” in-flight entertainment system offers over 1,200 entertainment channels, including the latest movie releases, 100 TV channels, over 500 audio channels, 100 video games as well as real-time news and sports scores.