Emirates daily flight to Durban ahead of FIFA World Cup 2010

Making a strategic move ahead of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Emirates Airline has announced flights to Durban from October 1, 2009. The daily service is expected to be the only direct air link between the international aviation hub of Dubai and Durban, one of South Africa’s host cities for FIFA-mania next year.

Emirates, an official partner of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, already flies to Cape Town and Johannesburg. And one of the few airlines not particularly hit by the recession.

Durban will provide another gateway to the world’s greatest football spectacle. It is one of South Africa’s key tourism hubs and the busiest port in Africa. According to Salem Obaidalla, Emirates’ Senior Vice President, Africa, West Asia and Indian Ocean, said: “With 2010 just around the corner, this is a great time to be adding routes in South Africa. The third gateway will bring benefits to our passengers and KwaZulu-Natal province well before, during and long after the FIFA World Cup, so a good result for South Africa and its increasing ties with Dubai and the Emirates network beyond.”

While the FIFA World Cup special flight will depart Dubai at 0445 hours, and arrive at Durban International Airport at 1130 hours, the return flight would leave Durban at 1300 hours and fly into Dubai at at 2340 hours. A 278-seat Airbus A330-200 in a two-class configuration will be deployed on the flight, lasting around 8hrs 45 minutes.

Emirates currently flies to 15 destinations in Africa. Services to Johannesburg started in 1995 and flights now leave Dubai three times a day. In March of last year, the airline started a daily service to Cape Town.

Emirates has mushroomed into a travel and tourism conglomerate, based out of Dubai over the years. Officials said that it has also become an astutely strategic sponsor of sports and culture around the globe. More than 50 different brands now make up the Emirates Group.