Emirates has strengthened its links to West Africa with the launch of a new direct service to Dakar.
EK 797 took off this morning for the airline’s 105th destination, creating the only non-stop, scheduled passenger link between Dubai and Senegal. The new route will cut current journey times to Dakar by around the equivalent of an eight hour working day, creating an easy, fast and convenient service for business and leisure travellers.
Nigel Page, Senior Vice President of Commercial Operations, Africa & the Americas said: “Today marks a new chapter in air travel between the Middle East and West Africa. No more will passengers travelling to and from Senegal face long detours to Europe or other parts of Africa to reach their final destination.
“Instead, they can enjoy the convenience of a non-stop air link with Dubai, seamless connections to key centres in the Middle East, the Indian Sub-continent, Asia and the Far East through our state-of-the-art Terminal 3, a very competitive baggage allowance and the award-winning in-flight service for which Emirates is renowned.”
EK 797 departs Dubai at 0955hrs every Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday and arrives in Dakar at 1600hrs. EK 798 leaves the Senegalese capital at 1740hrs and gets into Dubai at 0715hrs the following day.
An Airbus A340-300 is being deployed on the route, offering 12 seats in First Class, 42 in Business and 213 in Economy.
On the cargo side, Emirates will be transporting 65 tonnes of goods a week from various points on its global network, including oil industry equipment from the UAE; textiles from Asia, electronics from East Asia and Europe; and a number of products and garments from India.
One of the key imports from Senegal will be seafood, with Emirates SkyCargo expecting to transport up to 3,500 tonnes of seafood a year in the belly-hold of the A340-300. Fresh produce – such as lobster, shrimp and sea bream – will be landing in supermarkets and restaurants throughout the UAE and the rest of the GCC, as well as various destinations across the Emirates network, including Athens, Larnaca, Rome, Milan, Madrid, Paris and Beirut.
The new Dakar route caps an exceptionally busy few months for the airline. Since the start of the summer, Emirates has announced orders for an additional 30 Boeing 777-300ER and 32 A380 aircraft; and placed a US$2.0 billion order for GE90-115B Engines to power the new 777s. With 12 A380 aircraft now in service, Emirates has instated its flagship A380s on its Beijing and Manchester routes, with the latter also commencing today, 1st September.
Mr Page added: “Our new Dakar service is a further demonstration of Emirates’ commitment to investing in and supporting the development of its pan-African footprint. Not only is the service already paying dividends through the creation of new jobs, such as our first Senegalese cabin crew and sales staff, but it will provide a significant long-term boost to trade and commerce in both the Middle East and West Africa.â€
Trade between the UAE and Senegal has climbed from USD 14.2 million (AED 52.1 million) in 2003 to USD 184 million (AED 676 million) in 2009, according to figures from the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Dakar is the fifth new route to be launched by Emirates this year. The others are Tokyo, which launched on 28th March, Amsterdam on 1st May, Prague on 1st July and Madrid, on 1st August.
