Travel Demand: Emirates Increases Flight Frequencies Across Africa

Emirates has bolstered its presence across Africa, with the introduction of additional flights to Entebbe, Uganda; Addis Abba in Ethiopia; and Johannesburg, South Africa.

Since the inaugural flight into Africa with Cairo as its first destination in 1986, Emirates has progressively grown its presence on the continent and now serves 20 passenger and cargo gateways, boosting Africa’s connectivity and air transport market development.  

Increasing frequencies to maximize connectivity

From 27 October, Emirates ramped up operations between Dubai and Uganda from five weekly flights to a daily service. Operated via a Boeing 777-300ER the additional flight will add 718 seats to and from Dubai-Entebbe every week, connecting to popular onwards destinations from Dubai such as Canada, the US, India and the UK, to name a few.

As the only airline offering First Class in and out of Entebbe, the additional flights will enable more passengers to experience Emirates’ unrivalled experience with luxurious touches, a premium gastronomic selection of dishes and fine beverages, and one of the biggest screens in the sky, all in midst of comfort and privacy.

The move builds on Emirates two-decade long commitment to Uganda, a vibrant gem on the airline’s vast global network and up and coming tourism destination. At the 2024 Arabian Travel Market, Emirates signed an MoU with the Uganda Tourism Board, aiming to encourage a diverse range of international travellers to experience the destination’s abundance of natural, cultural and adventure attractions. The additional frequency will further support this, as Uganda continues to invest in building its tourism proposition.

Ringing in the new year, Emirates will also increase frequency in Ethiopia, with a daily flight connecting Dubai and Addis Abba from 1 January 2025. Visitor numbers to Ethiopia continue to grow, guided by the vision to make Ethiopia one of the top five tourist destinations in Africa by 2025. By boosting its flight frequencies, Emirates will provide more convenient access, particularly for travellers from the Middle East and Far East.

This will be swiftly followed by the fourth daily flight to Johannesburg, which, from 1 March 2025, will introduce a morning slot to and from South Africa’s largest and busiest international airport. The additional flight will bring Emirates’ operations back to pre-pandemic levels, with 49 weekly flights into South Africa, one of the airline’s most in-demand destinations in Africa.

Once the additional frequencies are activated, Emirates will provide 161 weekly flights between African destinations and Dubai.

Tickets can be booked on emirates.com, the Emirates App, Emirates Retail stores, Emirates contact centre, or via travel agents.

Expanding the network to serve more of Africa

With 17 countries in Africa and a further 63 countries and territories globally, Emirates offers near-unrivalled connectivity, further amplified by its extensive partnership network.

In Africa, the airline’s footprint expands to over 210 regional points through 5 codeshare and 18 interline partners, providing access to more regional points via frictionless, one-ticket travel and simplified baggage throughput.