Take off for new Emirates route with first flights to Madagascar

The National joins the inaugural service, which connects Antananarivo and Dubai

The Dubai carrier will fly to Antananarivo in Madagascar four times a week. Photo: Fabrice Cabaud

Emirates launched its first flights to Antananarivo, the capital of Madagascar, on Tuesday.

On board were a senior delegation from the Dubai carrier including Adnan Kazim, deputy president and chief commercial officer; and Adil Al Ghaith, senior vice president of commercial operations for the Gulf, Middle East and Central Asia.

Departing Dubai International’s Terminal 3 at 7.40am local time, flight EK707 landed at the Ivato International Airport at 2.30pm local time. The flight included a 90-minute layover at Seychelles International Airport.

Antananarivo marks the airline’s latest destination in the Indian Ocean, which includes flights to cities in Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Mauritius and Seychelles. Home to three Unesco World Heritage sites, Madagascar has a burgeoning eco-tourism sector and diverse landscape ranging from rainforests and national parks to beaches and atolls.

Flying four times a week (Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday), the route is serviced by a Boeing 777-300 with first, business and economy-class cabins. There is capacity for up to 360 passengers. Return services depart at 6.35pm local time, landing at 4.20am in Dubai the following day. The new route is an expression of the growing relationship between the island nations and the UAE, according to Madagascar's President Andry Rajoelina.

“This relationship has really come to reality,” he said at the launch event. “Thanks to our shared willingness and hard work we were able to achieve this. This is a historical moment and it will trigger the tourism and economic development of our country.

“Emirates will now connect our country to the world. It is one way to hasten development in our country so this is a really important moment. This will also increase the number of tourists visiting our dear country and already a lot of big hotels want to invest here because Emirates is coming here.

“As you know Madagascar has a lot of national resources that need to be exported. Our island has treasures to value and now we have to focus on developing our resources in order to accelerate the development of our country.”

With the Malagasy government aiming to attract one million tourists by 2028, Kazim says the Emirates service is an opportunity for travellers to experience an underrated location. “Madagascar is a new and exciting destination on our vast global network, unlocking a world of natural wonders, rare and diverse wildlife, and a rich, vibrant culture,” he said.

As well as tourists, each flight can carry 22 tonnes of cargo, Kazim added. “This will be welcomed by the business community from both Madagascar and the UAE and there are plenty of opportunities to export fruits, vegetables, textiles and vanilla,” he said. “There are a lot of opportunities that come from this route and we view this as only the beginning of this journey with Madagascar and the UAE.”

For captain Solo Chuk, a Malagasy pilot who has been flying for Emirates for 14 years, being in the cockpit for the flight home was a dream come true. “Today's flight is really special. For many years I used to fly around the area and see Madagascar from far away, so to fly finally home is really special," he said.

The Antananarivo launch comes after Emirates bolstered its South American network with daily flights from Dubai to the Colombian capital Bogota in June.

Emirates also relaunched daily flights to Phnom Penh, Cambodia – via Singapore – from May. Five additional flights to Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires are also slated to begin on December 7.