Emirates is to commence a daily Airbus A380 service from Dubai to Mauritius from 16thDecember 2013, replacing one of the existing three-class B777-300 services the airline currently operates to Mauritius.
The aircraft will operate as flight EK 701 on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays and EK 3701 on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, departing from Dubai International Airport at 03.10 and arriving in Mauritius at 09.40. The return flight EK 702 and EK 3702 will depart Mauritius’ Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport at 18.20 and arrives in Dubai at 01.10 the next day and departing onwards to Dublin at 7.00am.
The announcement of this daily service follows the special one-off A380 flight that the airline operated to Mauritius in March 2013 to celebrate the island’s 45 years of independence. The new flight will replace one of the existing three-class B777-300 services the airline currently operates to Mauritius. This means Emirates will continue to serve the country on a double-daily basis with an additional 153 seats on the route each day across First Class, Business Class and Economy Class.
“Having brought our flagship A380 aircraft to this beautiful island for the first time in March, we could see how much appeal the aircraft had for our customers on the route,” said Thierry Antinori, Emirates’ Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer. “A first among the Indian Ocean Islands, it is a matter of great pride to be able to offer this service on a daily basis from December this year.
“The strategic decision to add the extra capacity is a testament to Emirates’ on-going commitment to supporting the tourism sector of Mauritius. There has been growing demand to support leisure traffic to the region, and the extra capacity will serve multiple destinations across our network in Europe, Middle East and Asia, with seamless connectivity through our Dubai hub.”
“The Emirates A380 flight to Mauritius will enhance the visibility and attractiveness of the destination to a wider audience,” said Michael Sik Yuen, Minister of Tourism and Leisure of Mauritius. “With the Emirates A380 service now scheduled on the Dubai – Mauritius route, the change in aircraft type to A380 will not only increase the seat capacity, but will also help Mauritius as a destination to tap into new and emerging markets that are currently being serviced by Emirates to meet the tourism growth challenge in 2014.”
Emirates has been operating to Mauritius since 2002 with three flights per week and in December 2012 commenced a double-daily service due to continued growing demand.
