By John Oyuke

African airspace continues to be abuzz with activity as airlines flock to introduce new African routes on their networks and increase frequencies to tap into the growing economic profile of the continent.

In addition to major overseas airlines, indigenous airlines like Kenya Airways, Ethiopian Airlines, South African Airways, Egypt Air and the Royal Air Morocco have been raising their profile in the region and connecting their hubs to other international routes.

Dubai based Emirates, which has in the past few years been spreading its wings for a greater slice of the continent’s market share, is again set to boost its African network after it launches two new destinations – Lusaka, the capital of Zambia, and Harare, the capital city of Zimbabwe.

The airline currently serving 19 passenger and cargo destinations across the continent has announced that it would link the two central African countries, which share a border with Victoria Falls, one of the natural wonders of the world, with a five times weekly flight from Dubai starting from February 1, next year.

Emirates Airline and Group Chief Executive Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum said the continent had enormous potential.

COMBINED MARKET

"Africa is one of the fastest-expanding economic regions of the world, benefiting from a combined market of over one billion people, rising consumer demand and an abundance of natural resources," he pointed out.

He observed that Zambia and Zimbabwe would be the airline’s 20th and 21st African destinations.

"Their addition to our global network will enable us to provide new flexibility and choice for customers, grow trade routes and create important new inbound and outbound markets for tourism," added Saeed Al-Maktoum.

DRIVEN BY TOURISM

The demand in Africa is mainly driven by tourism, corporate and business travel as well as cargo — especially from Africa to other markets.

Commenting on the move, Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe Chief Executive David Chawota said the arrival of an airline of Emirates’ stature would be significant for Zimbabwe, since it would lead to increased capacity, connectivity and choice as the country strives to consolidate its economic recovery through new trade avenues, tourism and investment.

The Dubai-Lusaka-Harare service will be operated by an Airbus A330-200 aircraft in a three-class configuration that offers 12 First Class seats, 42 Business Class seats, and space for 183 passengers in Economy Class.

Passengers flying Emirates from Lusaka and Harare will be able to connect seamlessly to points across the Far and Middle East, Indian sub-continent, Europe and Australasia via the airline’s hub in Dubai.

DIVERSE RANGE

A belly hold capacity of 16 tonnes will support the import and export of a diverse range of commodities, such as machinery, clothing, computer parts, and pharmaceuticals, according an Emirates’ statement.

A report "Aviation: The Real World Wide Web," released recently by Oxford Economics says demand for air transport in Africa is forecast to grow by about five per cent per annum over the next 20 years.