Emirates today announced that it will introduce a third daily service between Dubai and Cape Town from July 4.

The new service will supplement the two current daily flights between the two cities to meet growing demand on the route, and offer outbound and inbound travellers even more convenience and choice.

Operated by Emirates’ popular Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, flight EK 778 will depart Dubai at 1050hrs and arrive in Cape Town at 1830hrs. The return flight, EK 779 will depart Cape Town at 2005hrs and arrive in Dubai at 0730hrs the following morning. The timing of the flights will give Cape Town customers and those from across Emirates’ global network, greater flexibility in their travel plans and offer convenient transit times to connecting flights through the airline’s modern hub, Dubai.

Cape Town is one of the most popular destinations in the Emirates global network, and the additional flight will help meet the growing demand for seats into and out of the city, further supporting the local tourism and hospitality industry. The increased frequency underscores South Africa’s importance as a major business and tourism destination, and Emirates’ commitment to supporting growth in these sectors by enabling global connectivity through its extensive network of more than 150 destinations.

The current codeshare cooperation between Emirates and South African Airways on flights between Dubai and South Africa will also be extended to include the additional Cape Town flight, giving greater access to SAA’s customers on Emirates’ global network.

The Boeing 777-300ER, will be in a three class configuration with eight private suites in First Class, 42 lie-flat seats in Business Class and 310 spacious seats in Economy Class. As with all Emirates flights into South Africa, customers will experience the famous on board service from its multi-national cabin crew from 130 countries, including South Africans, and enjoy regionally and internationally inspired meals prepared by gourmet chefs.

The aircraft also features Emirates’ award winning ice entertainment system, offering up to 2,500 channels of on demand movies, television programmes, music, audio books and music. In addition, Economy Class customers get a baggage allowance of two pieces of luggage of up to 23 kg each, while Business Class and First Class customers can take two bags of up to 32 kg each.

In Cape Town, Emirates also offers First Class and Business Class customers a complimentary chauffeur drive service, as well as a dedicated and luxury lounge facility at the airport, which Platinum and Gold members of its Frequent Flyer Programme, Skywards, can also enjoy.

Key outbound markets for Cape Town customers include various points in Europe, the US, Middle East, West Asia and the Asia Pacific region, with the new flight (EK779) enabling convenient connections onto Emirates flights from Dubai, as well as for inbound customers from across the network transiting for the flight (EK778) to the city.

The added frequency will also provide up to 23 tonnes of cargo capacity on the aircraft per flight, giving businesses and traders opportunities for increased imports and exports.

Emirates first launched services to South Africa 20 years ago, and in addition to Cape Town, the airline also operates four daily flights between Dubai and Johannesburg, and a daily flight between Dubai and Durban. – TradeArabia News Service