Emirates to Algiers daily: airline increases flights to Algeria capital

Algiers: Marking the launch of its third African route in 13 months, Emirates officially began its daily flights from Dubai to Algeria from March 1, 2013 as a part of its plans to expand the airline’s African network.

Considered the airline’s 22nd destination in Africa and 130th destination worldwide, Emirates celebrated the launch at an inauguration ceremony in the Algerian capital of Algiers after the arrival of the first Emirates Airbus A330-200 at Houari Boumediene Airport.

“The launch of our operations in Algiers will provide a wealth of new travel options for customers in Algeria, who will be able to fly non-stop to our hub in Dubai and conveniently connect to points across the Middle East, the Asian Subcontinent, the Far East and Australasia,” said Adel Al Redha, Emirates’ Executive Vice President, Engineering and Operations.

With imports into Algiers including a wide range of manufactured goods, and exports including frozen fish, lobsters, oil and gas equipment and palm oil, an Airbus 330-200 aircraft with a belly hold capacity of 12 tons, will take Emirates SkyCargo’s weekly cargo capacity into and out of the country to more than 160 tons.

The new daily service is also said to increase the country’s tourism, said Al Redha. Algiers is home to numerous attractions, including the Great Mosque, the National Library, Martyrs Square, the Bardo Museum and multiple monuments and forts. The city, which has a rich cultural scene, shares a diverse heritage of Phoenician, Roman, Byzantine, Ottoman and French influences.

“We are confident that our new service will play a significant role in supporting the economic growth of Algeria by connecting the nation to our worldwide network, opening new conduits for trade, investment and tourism,” added Al Redha.

Also announced during a press conference held at the Sheraton Club Des Pins Hotel in Algiers, which was attended by senior Emirates executives and members of the local media, was the airline’s plans to add 200 new aircraft worth $73 billion to the 198 aircraft currently in service.

Al Redha further said that while Emirates has started its services to the capital city, studies are taking place to expand the services to other cities in Algeria.

Following the launch of Algiers, Emirates will also start its services to Haneda in Japan on June 3, 2013, followed by Clark in the Philippines on October 1.

With its daily non-stop flights between Dubai and Algeria, the EK 757 departs Dubai daily at 08.45am and arrives at Houari Boumediene Airport at 1.30pm. The return flight, EK 758, departs Algiers at 3.35pm and lands in Dubai at 12.55pm the next day.