Dubai-based airline Emirates has introduced the 354-seat Boeing 777-300ER on its Dubai-Lusaka-Harare daily service, effectively adding more than 1,600 seats a week.

“Introducing the Boeing 777-300ERon the Dubai-Lusaka-Harare route, just a year after we launched our service to Zambia and Zimbabwe, reflects the phenomenal growth we have seen in these markets and demonstrates Emirates’ commitment for the long haul,” said Jean Luc Grillet, senior vice president of Commercial Operations for Africa.

The plane is the longest passenger aircraft ever to touch down in Lusaka, replacing the 237-seat Airbus A330-200 on the route - a capacity increase of more than 50 per cent.

The Boeing 777-300ER is the backbone of the Emirates fleet, with 83 in service and a further 68 on order.

The new plane has 354 seats in a three-class configuration offering eight luxurious First Class suits, 42 seats in Business Class and generous space for  304 passengers in Economy Class, providing an additional 50 per cent capacity, or 117 extra seats per flight, compared with the current Airbus A330-200 aircraft being operated on the route.

The arrival of the larger aircraft will mean an increase in cargo carrying capacity of some 22 per cent to more than 18,000 kg per flight. – TradeArabia News Service