Emirates expands African service

Dubai: Emirates on Tuesday said it has introduced daily flights to Ivory Coast, a leading producer of cocoa, a key ingredient behind one of the world's favourite treats - chocolate.

Just two years after Emirates whetted the appetites of travellers to Abidjan with a five times a week service, demand has called for operations to go daily, and now they have.

Under the new schedule, effective December 1, flight EK787 leaves Dubai each day at 7.40am and arrives in Abidjan, Felix Houphouet Boigny Airport, at 2.55pm.

As before, flights to and from Abidjan, served by a 3-class Airbus A340-300, are making a quick stop in Accra, Ghana.

Abidjan is one of the 15 destinations to which Emirates flies in Africa with most passengers connecting from Paris, Beirut, Accra, New York and Dubai.

The extra flights will be of particular benefit to passengers with connections to GCC countries, the wider Middle East and the Far East.

New support

Salem Obaidalla, Emirates senior vice president for Africa, West Asia and Indian Ocean said: "This represents a further push by Emirates into West Africa and brings new support to business, international trade and passenger travel, while strengthening the country's overall transport infrastructure.

"And to think chocolate is part of the equation will only serve to give us an even greater taste for Africa.

"The introduction of this daily service comes just weeks after we announced a double daily flight to Lagos from February 1 next year. This is such an exciting continent for us and we are delighted to be playing a part in its prolific growth."

The West African nation, which has Guinea, Mali and Ghana amongst its neighbours, is one of the world's major producers and exporters of cocoa beans, coffee and palm oil. Abidjan is also a large commercial seaport, forming a gateway for the industrial world to and from western Africa.

Emirates, supported by Emirates SkyCargo, has been flying to the African continent since 1986, the year after the airline was established.

In just 23 years, the Dubai-based carrier has quickly grown into a major player on the aviation stage, boasting a 123-strong modern fleet, the world's largest A380 orderbook and a six continent route network.