Emirates to launch services to Cote D'Ivoire

Emirates will operate four times a week to Abidjan via Accra, flying every Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Abidjan, the commercial centre of Cote D'Ivoire, will enhance the airline's African network to 12 destinations in 11 countries. It will also be Emirates' third gateway in the West African region, after Lagos and Accra.

Emirates will operate an Airbus A330-200 aircraft on the route offering 12 First, 42 Business and 183 Economy class seats as well as 17 tonnes of belly-hold cargo capacity.

Emirates Group Chairman His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum said: "Emirates is delighted to offer its customers another exciting destination. The start of air transport links between Dubai and Cote D'Ivoire heralds the start of a relationship between our people in the business community, the leisure travel industry and in the air freight industry."

Sheikh Ahmed noted: "Emirates' services to Abidjan will provide Ivorian traders and businessmen access to new markets in the Middle East, Europe and Far East via the airline's hub in Dubai."

He added: "The Emirates' Abidjan-Dubai services will also open up a 75-plus strong, global destination network to large areas of West Africa including The Republic of Guinea, Mali, Sierra Leone, Burkina Faso and Niger."

Cote D'Ivoire is among the world's largest producers and exporters of coffee, cocoa beans, and palm oil. Its export partners include France, Italy, Germany and other European countries. Ivorian traders and businessmen, keen to find new markets for their local products and services can take advantage of Emirates' robust presence in Europe which includes 195 flights a week into 19 gateways.

Cote D'Ivoire also shares trading links with the Far East, in particular with bustling commercial centres like Singapore, Hong Kong and Shanghai, which provide Ivorian traders with high-quality, state-of-the-art and cost efficient electronic goods, white goods, textiles and clothes.

Emirates has recently strengthened its Far East network which now stands at 24, 14, 19, 10 and seven flights per week to Singapore, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Manila and Shanghai respectively. Emirates' services will connect West Africa and the Far East with efficient, timely air links and also allow Ivorian traders to stop over in Dubai, an additional business hub.

Through Emirates SkyCargo, the new services are poised to help the export of seafood and perishables including pineapples and mangoes to the Middle East and Europe, and to support the local industry's needs for garments, pharmaceuticals, machinery, electronics and automotive parts from India, China and the Far East.

Emirates flight EK 787 will take off from the Dubai International Airport at 07:40 hours and arrive in Abidjan via Accra at 14:55 hours the same day.

Return flight EK 788 will depart Abidjan at 16:25 hours and arrive in Dubai at 06:15 hours the following day.