Business | Aviation
Emirates will double flights to Lagos
Emirates said yesterday it will double its services between Dubai and Lagos.
- Staff Report
- Published: 23:35 December 4, 2008
- The new service will be operated by a Boeing 777-300ER, offering an enhanced capacity of 12 First, 42 Business and 310 Economy Class seats.
- Image Credit: Supplied picture
Dubai: Emirates said yesterday it will double its services between Dubai and Lagos.
The airline will increase its seven-a-week Lagos service to twice daily from February 1, further supporting trade in Nigeria and expanding channels of investment between the West African nation and the UAE.
The new flight, EK 781, will depart Dubai at 2.15pm and arrive in Lagos at 7.55pm. The return flight, EK 782 will depart Lagos at 9.35pm and arrive in Dubai at 7.35am the following day.
Under the revised schedule, the existing flight, EK783, will be brought forward slightly to depart Dubai at 7.35am and arrive in Lagos at the earlier time of 1.15pm, providing additional scope for afternoon business appointments.
The return flight, EK784, will depart at 3pm and arrive in Dubai at 1am the following day.
"This is an exciting new development for Emirates in Africa, just four years after we started services to Lagos. Africa is one of the world's trading powerhouses and Emirates is supporting that commercial activity. We are seeing clear demand for more flights and that is what we are delivering. At the same time, we are improving two-way connectivity between a host of places, particularly Bahrain, Doha, Muscat, the Indian Subcontinent, East Asia and Australasia," said Salem Obaidalla, Emirates' senior vice-president for Africa, West Asia and Indian Ocean.
The Lagos route is currently served by a Boeing 777-300ER, offering 12 seats in First Class, 42 in Business and 304 in Economy.
The new service will also be operated by a Boeing 777-300ER, offering a slightly enhanced capacity of 12 First, 42 Business and 310 Economy Class seats.
"With the start of this double daily flight to one of Africa's major freight destinations, we also expect a further increase in cargo trade. Emirates SkyCargo currently serves 15 destinations in Africa and recently strengthened its African footprint with the introduction of freighter services to Lagos. As of February 1, our cargo capacity will jump from 280 tonnes to 440 tonnes a week," Obaidalla said.
Household goods, electronics, mobile phones, computer spare parts and clothing items are among the top commodities carried by SkyCargo into Nigeria, much of which come from India and the Far East. Main exports include Kola Nuts, tropical fish, spare parts and courier traffic, bound for Middle East and East Asia markets.
"With the opening of our world leading Emirates Terminal 3, passengers from Africa and elsewhere on the airline's network, have even more reasons to fly in and out of Dubai. The new facility is exceptionally well geared to passengers, especially business travellers, who can be forgiven for thinking that Terminal 3 is a destination in itself," Obaidalla added.
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