Following Emirates’ successful launch to Madagascar in September 2024, the airline will introduce additional flights to the island nation, boosting its schedule from four to six weekly services, starting April 2 this year. The expansion reinforces the airline’s commitment to support Madagascar’s tourism ambitions to accommodate more leisure visitors and promote the island destination to global audiences.
“Our growing flight schedule to the island means better connectivity, more choice and convenient options for travelers. Enhancing services will also strengthen the economic ties between Madagascar and the UAE, by supporting more inbound and outbound leisure and business travel to the island and bolstering trade lanes with additional cargo capacity,” stated Essa Sulaiman Ahmad, senior vice president of commercial operations for West Asia and Indian Ocean at Emirates.
Five weekly flights to meet seasonal demand
Since flights to Madagascar commenced last year, Emirates has witnessed robust demand for its passenger services, both inbound and outbound, between the capital Antananarivo and Dubai. With the current four weekly flights operating at near full capacity, the significant rise in the number of seats will support Madagascar’s efforts to increase visitor arrivals into the country, while also providing more choice and convenience for travelers to plan trips to and from the popular Indian Ocean destination.
To meet seasonal demand, Emirates recently increased its services to Madagascar for a temporary period, from four to five weekly flights and the new frequency represents a significant boost to its operations and capacity on the route.
“We have been diligently supporting the country’s tourism agenda by promoting the destination across our network, which is evident from the healthy bookings, and we will make every effort to continue raising awareness around the vibrant island’s unique charm and stunning natural landscapes to support sustainable traffic growth,” added Ahmad.
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Madagascar sees tourism boost
The expanded schedule between Dubai and Antananarivo, linked via Mahe, will operate on all days except Mondays. Over the past few months, the airline has experienced strong demand from the UAE, Sri Lanka, France, the UK, mainland China, Japan, Spain and Italy to Madagascar. From Madagascar, travelers have mainly ventured to Dubai, the hub city of Emirates, in addition to Seychelles, France, India, Sri Lanka, Italy and Japan.
“The arrival of Emirates, with direct flights to Madagascar, has been a breath of fresh air for our tourism sector. This flight has connected our island to over 140 destinations worldwide, thereby opening up new opportunities for the promotion of Madagascar as a destination,” stated Madagascar’s Minister of Tourism and Handicrafts, Viviane Dewa.
Emirates has also supported Madagascar’s tourism agenda by promoting it as a top leisure destination to its global network of tour operators. Its efforts have included planning familiarisation trips for 32 of its top travel agencies from major feeder markets to visit the island. Amongst the island’s main attractions, Madagascar is home to three UNESCO World Heritage sites and is celebrated for its thriving biodiversity.
With the boost to services to Madagascar, Emirates’ flights aboard the Boeing 777 aircraft allow additional cargo capacity for imports and exports, with the ability to uplift up to 20 tons of cargo per flight in the aircraft’s bellyhold.
