Emirates increases flights to Entebbe on anticipated strong summer

June 11, 2019 in Business, Companies, Travel & Tourism by Editor

Gulf carrier Emirates will increase its frequency to Entebbe, adding three rotations to its daily service. The increase from seven to ten flights a week is intended to accommodate seasonal growth during the 2019 summer peak season.

John Gemin, the country manager for Uganda says the additional services which will run between July 5 and September 15, 2019, will be operated using the carrier’s 352 seat Boeing 777-300 aircraft that is configured to three classes – First, Business and Coach.

The additional flights that will operate on Fridays through Sunday will also offer the only daylight departure out of Entebbe and arrival in Dubai with EK 730 departing Entebbe at 7.15 local, arriving in Dubai at 13.45.

This is the first time that Emirates will operate a double frequency to Entebbe and points to a new growth phase on the route it mounted nearly nineteen years ago. The carrier achieved a cabin factor of 70pc with a total of 90,000 roundtrip passengers carried between Entebbe and Dubai in the year to March 2019.

“Uganda is an important market for Emirates in the region and has registered significant growth,” says John Gemin, Emirates country manager for Uganda.

Entebbe was ranked the tenth largest market in Africa for Emirates in 2017, measured by seats deployed.  The carrier has maintained 128,586 seats out of Entebbe annually, way ahead of Addis which had 124, 382 seats available and Dar es salaam 128,118.

Gulf rival Qatar says it does not plan any changes and will maintain its daily service that departs via Kigali.