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

Emirates’ Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer, Adnan Kazim, said, “Africa has long been a priority region for Emirates, and we will deepen our strategic focus of expansion and continued investment on the continent, as an important anchor for our future network.

“The introduction of frequencies to our existing points in Uganda, South Africa and Ethiopia help support the region’s growth and provide critical links using Dubai as a key gateway to emerging economies across Asia and the Middle East.

“Over the last 30 years Emirates has played a pivotal role in the development of the region’s aviation and tourism sectors, not just through scaling our operations but by establishing strategic partnerships with local governments, tourism boards and likeminded airline partners across the travel ecosystem, to nurture the industry and realise its untapped potential.”

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.

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.

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.

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 brings 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.