Emirates touched down in Cape Town on February 1st for a second daily flight as part of its efforts to meet the increase in travel and to support the city's tourism sector.

The reintroduction of a second flight outlines Emirates's commitment to supporting inbound tourism and boosting trade between the UAE and South Africa. Early last year, Emirates signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the South African Tourism Board to jointly promote tourism and encourage travelers to experience the abundance of attractions and opportunities the country offers.

Already operating daily flights between Dubai and the commercial capital, Johannesburg, the new frequency will increase business opportunities by providing travelers more access to Cape Town. The first Emirates flight EK773, a Boeing B777, departed Cape Town at 13:25 (CAT), while the other flight EK771, a B777 as well, left Cape Town at 18:25 (CAT). This schedule offers customers more flexibility and travel choices depending on their preferred arrival times.

With the introduction of a second CPT-DXB flight, Emirates now serves South Africa with 35 weekly flights across the country's three main hubs, with two daily flights to Cape Town and Johannesburg and a single flight between Dubai and Durban.

The long-standing partnership between Emirates and South Africa

The Middle Eastern airline has fully restored intercontinental operations to pre-pandemic levels by bringing back all fourteen flights on the Dubai-Cape Town route. Emirates has been serving South Africa for over 27 years and has connected millions of travelers to and from the region via Dubai and beyond to its intricate global network. It has been a firm partner of the African republic and the continent at large, offering its services for civil aviation, trade, and tourism.

Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying.

Emirates is dedicated to flying as many passengers to South Africa as it did before the pandemic to sustain its long-standing partnership. South Africa welcomed an average of 15 million non-resident visitors annually before COVID-19; however, this number plummeted to about 3 million in 2020 and 2021. The Emirati airline plans to remain involved in South Africa's economic and touristic recovery through enhanced connectivity across all its gateways.

Overall, trade between the UAE and South Africa is also increasing to pre-pandemic levels. Earlier this week, Kenya Airways Cargo signed a codeshare agreement with Astral Aviation which has hubs in Dubai and Johannesburg. This agreement is meant to boost bilateral trade between Southern Africa and the Middle East, which averages $3 billion per year in revenue.

More flights and the A380 premium economy

The Middle Eastern carrier also plans to increase the frequency of flights between Dubai International Airport and OR Tambo International. From March 1, Emirates will introduce a third daily flight to Africa's busiest airport. The added flights will collectively provide more cargo belly-hold capacity further to scale up import and export opportunities for local businesses.

Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

With the most robust travel demand in two years, Emirates introduced a premium economy class, which was met with positive reactions from passengers. Premium economy is a quiet, luxurious and meticulously customized class located at the front of the main deck on a four-class Emirates Airbus A380. Last year the airline announced plans for premium economy flights to New York, Auckland, Melbourne, and Singapore.

As the largest operator of the A380, the airline will scale up operations to 42 cities with over 400 weekly departures, its most significant schedule yet, with 85 A380s lined up for active service. On February 1, Melbourne became the second Australian destination served by the signature Airbus A380 with premium economy.

Starting on February 15, San Francisco will become the second US destination served by the revamped A380-800 with refreshed interiors on flights EK225 and EK226. Another A380 premium economy will land in Singapore for the first time on March 1 on flights EK354 and EK355. The same experience will be offered to passengers traveling to Christchurch from March 26 as an extension of the Dubai-Sydney service.