Dakar will be Emirates' 106th international destination, and closely follows new route announcements to Tokyo, Amsterdam, Prague and Madrid, also launching in 2010. Dakar is the airline's third new African destination in less than 12 months, after Durban and Luanda joined the network in late 2009.
Starting September 1, 2010, Emirates will fly non-stop to Dakar five times a week on every Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday from Dubai. The service will be operated by an Airbus A340-300 aircraft, offering a three-class configuration of 12 First Class, 42 Business and 213 Economy Class seats.
His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline & Group, said, 'We are delighted to announce Dakar as our nineteenth destination into Africa. This new route further underlines our commitment to Africa, as we seek to continuously strengthen our services across the continent. This service will facilitate the smooth transfer of business and leisure travelers as well as cargo.'
Emirates Flight 797 will depart Dubai at 9:55 a.m. and touch down at Dakar's L'opold S'dar Senghor International Airport at 4:00 p.m. the same day. Return flight departs Dakar at 5:40 p.m., arriving in Dubai at 7:15 a.m. the following morning. The service connects seamlessly to key hubs in the Middle East, the Indian Sub-continent, Asia and the Far East.
New York passengers can connect conveniently from EK204 arriving in Dubai at 8:05 a.m., to Dakar flight EK 797.'
His Excellency Karim Wade, Senior Minister, Ministry of International Cooperation, National Planning, Air Transport and Infrastructure, Senegal states, 'As the first direct service between Senegal and the UAE, this new route will deliver a significant boost to our nation's trade, commerce and tourism industries.'
Economic activity between the two nations continues to blossom. Dubai's non-oil trade with Senegal has increased significantly in recent years ' from $61.9 million per year in 2005 to $130.2 million per year in 2008 ' an average annual growth of 28 percent.
The 18 tons of belly-hold cargo capacity on the Emirates aircraft will support key Senegalese exports such as fresh fish, fruit and vegetables. Dubai is an important hub for the re-export of African manufactured products to cities in the Mediterranean such as Athens, Larnaca and Beirut.
