Dubai-based Emirates will add more than 1,400 seats a week on its Dar es Salaam to Dubai route by introducing a Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, starting February 1.

The Airbus 340-500 currently deployed on one of Dar es Salaam’ daily flight, will be replaced with a larger Boeing 777-300ER, giving 40 per cent boost to seat capacity, a statement from the airline company said.

“Dar es Salaam is one of East Africa’s most popular destinations and the introduction of the new Boeing 777 is a direct response to increasing passenger demand on this route,” said Jean Luc Grillet, Emirates senior vice president of commercial operations for Africa.

“Emirates carried 148,000 passengers on flights to and from Dar es Salaam in 2012. With the new Boeing 777 service we expect this to noticeably grow as our customers continue to explore the opportunities Emirates’ global network has to offer.”

The new aircraft has 360 seats in a three-class configuration offering eight luxurious First Class suits, 42 seats in Business Class and generous space for 310 passengers in Economy Class.

In addition to carrying more passengers, the operation of the new aircraft will also have a positive impact on Tanzania’s import and export industry, the statement said. Emirates SkyCargo, using the Airbus 340-500, had a belly-hold capacity of 30 tonnes in both directions.

The Boeing 777-300ER has a capacity of up to 46 tonnes, which means businesses will benefit from an additional 112 tonnes of weekly capacity on the route. Commodities carried include spare parts, telecommunications, mining equipment, machinery flowers, meat and fish.

Throughout the aircraft, passengers will be able to experience the airline’s award-winning ice in-flight entertainment system with a choice of over 1,400 channels on-demand as well as meals prepared by gourmet chefs.

Emirates is also known for its award-winning service from its international cabin crew recruited from over 130 nationalities, speaking over 55 languages.

Emirates established operations in Tanzania in 1997 and flies daily from Julius Nyerere International Airport (JNIA) in Dar es Salaam to Dubai, connecting passengers to 117 destinations in 74 countries across six continents. – TradeArabia News Service