To accommodate the increasing demand for air travel in the area, Emirates, a reputable international airline, has announced plans to increase its African operations.
In addition to 150 destinations worldwide, the airline located in Dubai which is a division of the Emirates Group and is owned by the government of Dubai’s Investment Corporation of Dubai also flies to 21 African states. These nations include South Africa, Ethiopia, Guinea, Uganda, Nigeria, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, and Egypt.
The airline had resorted to using its entire pre-pandemic passenger network, according to Catherine Wesley, Country Manager for Emirates Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire, who made this disclosure during a media roundtable to brief journalists on the airline’s activities.
There are now 21 destinations in our African network, and we offer over 140 weekly flights there. With the loosening of travel restrictions, the increase in passenger demand, and the redeployment of our A380 into Cairo and Johannesburg, we are moving forward with our plans to increase our presence throughout Africa, Ms. Wesley added.
Regarding the operations in Ghana, the Country Manager of Emirates Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire stated, “We have restored our daily frequencies to and from Dubai,” adding that the airline typically flew 8000 passengers per week from Ghana to other locations across the globe.
She noted that Emirates offered clients world-class services in all travel classes and that the company had received multiple honors for its outstanding in-flight and off-plane services. The Ghanaian market, according to her, is still one of the company’s target markets.
To introduce the wide-body A380 on the Dubai to Accra route, she remarked, “I’m striving to expand our passenger levels from Ghana to other destinations to 500.” On flights departing from Ghana, Ms. Wesley noticed that Emirates featured Ghanaian cuisine such as “fante fante, sauce, and salmon with “Kpakpo shito,” and that travelers may select from a menu of 13 customized meals to meet their religious, nutritional, and medical needs.
Regarding the future of the aviation sector generally, Ms. Wesley predicted that there will continue to be a high demand for travel, particularly leisure and high-end leisure travel. According to the country manager for Emirates Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire, “we need to work together as an industry to tackle the operating obstacles, such as staff shortages, fuel price, geopolitical issues, and consumer confidence.”
She claimed that the above problems had an impact on the profitability of the aviation sector as well as air travel and movement. According to Ms. Wesley, the Emirates’ ongoing investments in partnerships, infrastructure, technology, human capital, and collaborations will enable the company to offer clients items that are at the top of their respective industries in terms of quality and price.
