Emirates to launch Airbus A380 to Johannesburg

DUBAI, UAE Emirates (www.emirates.,com), one of the fastest growing airlines in the world, announced on 11 May, 2011 that Johannesburg, the industrial and economic capital of South Africa, will be the next destination slated for its flagship A380 aircraft. The'daily A380 service will start I October 2011. The announcement of Emirates' first scheduled A380 service to Africa comes as the airline unveiled its full year financial results for 2010 11. These revealed a surge in the number of South African travellers flying with Emirates with total passenger growth up ~12 percent over the previous financial year. Overall revenue from the Sputh African . ,market also rose sharply, up 34 percent from 2009 10. The year that saw South Africa host the highly successful 2010 FIFA World Cup also saw Emirates record a huge ~rise in inbound traffic to South Africa with passenger volumes up 20 percent in the calendar year 2010. As an official FIFA Partner, Emirates helped to bring the world to South Africa by flying in football fans from across its network of six continents. "We have enjoyed a successful partnership with South Africa since launching services in 1995, and now connect our Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban gateways to our vast global network through 42 non stop flights each week to Dubai," said Tim Clark, President Emirates Airline. . "The Very pogitive trends'we have' 'witnessed over the last 12 months will only be boosted by the arrival of our flagship A380 aircraft, which has set a new benchmark for air travel." -Statement