Emirates doubles Durban daily flights over two festive weeks

Dubai: Emirates is adding 14 flights between Dubai and Durban across December 2026 and January 2027 to meet festive-season demand. The airline announced the move on October 20, saying the extra frequencies give travellers more choice and connectivity during one of the busiest periods of the year.

A second daily flight will operate from December 17 to 23 and again from January 2 to 8, using a three-class Boeing 777.

Flight EK2535 departs Dubai at 04:00 and lands in Durban at 10:30. The return, EK2536, leaves Durban at 12:15 and reaches Dubai at 22:30. The existing daily service, EK775 and EK776, continues to run as scheduled.

Passengers can connect through Dubai to more than 140 destinations on the Emirates network. The most popular December destinations among Durban travellers are Dubai, Thailand, Indonesia, India, France and the UK. The added flights also give Durban residents more options to travel abroad over the break.

Durban is a draw in its own right. Its summer calendar includes festivals, gigs, beachfront fireworks and cultural and heritage events, and 1.2 million visitors travelled to the city over last year’s festive period. Emirates says the extra capacity supports the city’s inbound tourism goals, particularly from markets covered by South Africa’s Electronic Travel Authorisation, such as India, China, Indonesia and Mexico. Travellers from Europe and other Northern Hemisphere markets can also route through Dubai to reach Durban’s summer.

Emirates has introduced flexible booking policies to cover last-minute changes to travel plans. Customers get unlimited free date changes across all cabins on tickets booked to Dubai, and one free date change to any other point on the network. 'Hold My Fare' locks in a ticket price for 24 hours at no extra fee while passengers finalise plans. The airline has also significantly reduced refund fees.

Travellers from South Africa and 26 other countries can add Comprehensive Travel Cover when booking on emirates.com or later through Manage Your Booking. The policy includes unlimited worldwide medical expenses, emergency evacuation, and cover for trip cancellation and baggage delay or loss.

It also includes conflict cover. This reimburses medical expenses up to $25,000 (Dh91,800) and grants a free trip extension of up to 30 days. Government travel advice does not restrict the cover.