Airline major Emirates has announced the beginning of a daily linked service to Abuja and Kano from 1 August 2014, which is expected to boost business and tourism
The route will be serviced by an Airbus A340-500 offering a total of 258 seats in a three-class configuration. Emirates SkyCargo will offer over 200 tonnes of cargo capacity per week, with main imports expected into Abuja and Kano being personal effects, clothing material and electronics, while exports include leather, kola nuts, spices and fresh meat.
Abuja will be the first stop on the linked service on a Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, and Kano will be the first stop on a Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
Thierry Antinori, executive vice president, Emirates, said, “Nigeria is experiencing strong demographic and economic growth. The country is strategic to Emirates’ global expansion, as is Africa.
“With a daily linked service to Abuja and Kano, we will offer from three major cities in the country a very convenient and comfortable access to Dubai and more than 30 destinations in the Middle East and Asia Pacific such as Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Bangkok and Sydney. The new service will also help create new opportunities for business, industry and tourism."
Emirates SkyCargo, the freight division of the airline, had introduced a scheduled freighter service to Kano in October 2013, and with Abuja joining the network, Emirates will now fly to 26 destinations in Africa and 142 worldwide in 80 countries.
