As from 1 October 2009, Emirates Airline will be seen daily in the skies above Durban - flying to & from Dubai International Airport.  This will make them the only airline flying an international route every day from South Africa's eastern seaboard.

A 278-seater Airbus A330-200 will be used to service the route, which has an expected flying time of about 8:45 hours. 

Optimistic

The senior Area VP for Emirates, Nigel Page, is enthusiastic about how Durban and its surrounds will benefit from this new service.  Durban is the third biggest city in South Africa and the commercial centre of the country's east coast.  "Our new daily flight will enhance Durban's position as a trading hub, given the city's existing status as the busiest port in Africa," he said.

Tourism

At the moment, stats show that at least 20% of all tourists visit KwaZulu-Natal.  Emirates new service should add a welcome boost to these figures.  KZN Tourism CEO, Ndaba Khoza very positive, saying that KZN will now become an  international gateway in its own right.

Trade

International trade between South Africa and the United Arab Emirates is estimated at about R10.6-billion per annum.  Nice figures on anyone's bottom line ...