Emirates set to upgrade services to Tanzania

Emirates Airline has announced plans to add more than 1,400 seats a week on its Dar es Salaam – Dubai route from next month.

The Dubai-based carrer said it will increase capacity on the Tanzanian route by introducing a Boeing 777-300ER aircraft effective from February 1.

The Airbus 340-500 currently deployed on one of Dar es Salaam’ daily flight, will be replaced by add a 40 percent boost to seat capacity.

“Dar es Salaam is one of East Africa’s most popular destinations and the introduction of the new Boeing 777 is a direct response to increasing passenger demand on this route,” said Jean Luc Grillet, Emirates senior vice president Commercial Operations for Africa.

“Emirates carried 148,000 passengers on flights to and from Dar es Salaam in 2012. With the new Boeing 777 service we expect this to noticeably grow as our customers continue to explore the opportunities Emirates’ global network has to offer.”

In addition to carrying more passengers, the operation of the new aircraft will also have a positive impact on Tanzania’s import and export industry.

Emirates SkyCargo will increase its belly-hold capacity from 30 tonnes in both directions to 46 tonnes, which means businesses will benefit from an additional 112 tonnes of weekly capacity on the route.

Emirates established operations in Tanzania in 1997 and flies daily from Julius Nyerere International Airport (JNIA) in Dar es Salaam to Dubai, connecting passengers to 117 destinations in 74 countries across six continents.