Emirates, leveraging its strategic location in the Middle East, offers extensive connectivity to African destinations.
According to simpleflying.com, the airline’s top five busiest African routes by seat availability, highlights the significant role of Dubai as a global aviation hub facilitating seamless travel to and from Africa.
The Middle East facilitates a lot of travel to Africa, mainly due to its proximity. As a result, Dubai’s flag carrier, Emirates, offers direct flights to many African destinations. Many of them are boarded by people who are codesharing on flights from Europe, America, and Asia.
But which destinations does Emirates offer more seats in on the African continent? Let’s find out. Here are the top five routes by seat capacity for June 2024, provided by Cirium, an aviation analytics company.
1 Cairo International Airport, Egypt
CAI takes the top spot for Emirates in Africa
Emirates operates four flights daily from Dubai International Airport (DXB) to Cairo International Airport (CAI). CAI is the largest airport in Egypt’s capital city and a hub for many domestic and international flights within the continent.
Many tourists start their journey through Africa in Egypt due to its rich history and attractions, such as the pyramids, before moving on to other parts of the continent. In addition, the city is the economic center of the country, which results in a lot of business travel, especially from the Middle East.
The flights are relatively short, measuring just 1,503 mi (2418 km) each way. The airline utilizes a mixture of Airbus A380-800, Boeing 777-200LR, and 777-300ER aircraft on the route. Three of the four daily flights use the Super Jumbo, while the remaining daily flight is operated with the 777. It allows the airline to offer roughly 462 seats per departure.
As a result, the airline offers passengers traveling along the route 110,864 seats and 166.62 million ASMs for June. This makes this the busiest African route for the airline.
2 O. R. Tambo International Airport, South Africa
JNB is one of the busiest airports on the continent
O. R. Tambo International Airport (JNB) is one of the main airports in South Africa. It serves Johannesburg and the country’s capital city, Pretoria. It is also the country’s main hub for domestic and international travel. As a result, it is the second busiest airport on the continent.
Emirates operates three daily flights to JNB from DXB. On the route, it utilizes a mixture of the A380 and 777-300ER. Two of the three flights are flown using the 777, and the remaining uses the A380. It allows Emirates to offer 412 seats per departure.
The route has the second-highest capacity in terms of seats, with 74,160 seats in both directions for June. It also provides 294.41 million ASMs.
3 Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport, Mauritius
Emirates offers high-capacity flights with the A380 to MRU
Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport (MRU) is the primary international airport for the Republic of Mauritius.
The island nation is famous for its beaches and culture and is a popular tourist destination. It is the third most popular route for the airline within the African continent, as many passengers connect from DXB because the fares are cheaper than flying directly to MRU.
Emirates operates twice-daily flights to the island using the high-capacity Suber Jumbo since the route is a relatively short 3,144 miles (5,059 km). It allows the airline to offer an average of 566.9 seats per departure. Resulting in a total of 68,028 seats and 213.88 million ASMs in both directions per month.
4 Cape Town International Airport, South Africa
CPT is the second South African airport on the list
Cape Town International Airport (CPT) is the second-busiest airport in South Africa and the fifth busiest on the continent. It attracts a large number of tourists and business travelers each month. Emirates is the only airline that offers direct flights from DXB to Cape Town.
Emirates flies to and from Cape Town twice daily. It is the longest route on the list, with a straight line distance of 4,734 miles (7,618 km) from DXB.
The airline exclusively uses the Boeing 777-300ER on these flights, which offers 359.9 seats per departure. It allows the airline to offer 43,188 seats and 204.45 million ASMs monthly.
5 Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Kenya
Last but not least, NBO comes in fifth
Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (NBO) in Kenya ranks fifth. However, fewer than one hundred seats separate fifth and fourth place. The airport is the largest in Kenya and serves the capital city of Nairobi.
Kenya is a popular tourist destination and the seventh-largest economy in Africa. The country is home to the famous Maasai Mara National Reserve and is experiencing economic growth in the post-pandemic era, which has increased travel to the nation.
Emirates takes off and lands from NBO twice daily. The airline operates the 777-300ER along the route, which allows it to offer 359.1 seats per departure. For June, the airline offers passengers 43,092 seats and 94.97 million ASMs.
