Emirates Airline on Wednesday announced that Johannesburg in South Africa will be the next destination for its flagship A380 aircraft.
The daily A380 service will start October 1 and will operate daily, the airline said in a statement.
The announcement of Emirates’ first scheduled A380 service to Africa comes as the airline 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, it said.
“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 of 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.”
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 travelers keen to experience its unique features and unparalleled levels of comfort in the air.”
The 489-seat Emirates A380 offers onboard shower spas to first class passengers.
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.
Emirates said the new A380 service will also help to support the trade relationship between South Africa and the UAE, which has enjoyed an average year-on-year growth of eight percent since 2007.
Emirates currently operates a three times daily service to Johannesburg, a double-daily service to Cape Town and a daily service to Durban.
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 currently serves 19 passenger and cargo destinations across the African continent.
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