01 April 2008
Dubai: Emirates achieved a new milestone last evening as it touched down to the vibrant beats of the African drums at Cape Town its 100th global destination, and second gateway in South Africa.
Signalling the start of daily, non-stop flights between Dubai, the nerve centre of the Middle East, and Cape Town, one of the world's most beautiful cities, the inaugural flight EK 770 piloted by South African native Captain Chris Rademan received a traditional water cannon salute while onboard passengers were greeted by a pulsating performance by members of the Marimba band.
High-level delegation
A high-level Emirates delegation comprising Nabeel Sultan, senior vice-president of commercial operations, Gulf, Middle East and Iran, and Adnan Kazim, senior vice-president commercial operations, Africa flew on the first flight accompanied by 250 passengers hailing from 18 countries, some coming from as far as the US, France, Germany, Poland, Kuwait, Bahrain, India and Pakistan, in addition to Emirates' home base, the UAE
The arriving Emirates delegation and passengers were welcomed by Lynne Brown, member of the executive council, Western Cape Province; Calvyn Gilfellan, chief executive, Cape Town Routes Unlimited, the official tourism destination marketing organisation for Cape Town and the Western Cape; and over 50 representatives from Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) and Emirates South Africa.
As a result of South Africa's growing economy and the escalating demand for air travel, the Dubai-based airline has steadily built up its presence in the country. Last year, Emirates strengthened its 14-flights-per-week Johannesburg service with an additional frequency, taking the weekly total to 21 flights.
Direct access
"Emirates is grateful to the South African government and airport officials for assisting us in the successful start of our daily operations to Cape Town. The new service will provide its customers in Europe, Middle East, the Indian-sub continent and Asia-Pacific with direct access to Cape Town, one of the world's most popular tourist destinations. At the same time it will also open up over 90 global destinations for Cape Town's travellers who can now avoid travelling via Johannesburg," noted
Provincial Minister Brown added: "The new flight will give us more direct air access to the Middle East, which is a very significant tourism market and world-wide hub for Cape Town and the Western Cape. It is also one of the markets we will focus on in the run-up to the 2010 FIFA World Cup."
By Staff Reporter
Gulf News 2008. All rights reserved.
