Emirates has announced that it will begin flying daily flights between Lagos and Dubai starting on October 1, 2024, providing consumers with additional options and connectivity from Nigeria’s largest metropolis to and through Dubai.
According to the company, a Boeing 777-300ER will be used to run the service. The return flight, EK784, will leave Lagos at 1730 and arrive in Dubai at 0510 hours. EK783 will depart Dubai at 0945 and arrive in Lagos at 1520 hours.
Commenting on the resumption, Adnan Kazim, Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer at Emirates said, “We are excited to resume our services to Nigeria. The Lagos-Dubai service has traditionally been popular with customers in Nigeria and we hope to reconnect leisure and business travellers to Dubai and onwards to our network of over 140 destinations. We thank the Nigerian government for their partnership and support in re-establishing this route and we look forward to welcoming passengers back onboard.”
With the return of operations to Nigeria, Emirates now operates 157 weekly flights from Dubai to 19 African gateways. Through codeshare and interline agreements with South African Airways, Airlink, Royal Air Maroc, and Tunis Air, among others, Emirates can reach an additional 130 regional points in Africa.
Nigeria, a significant economic centre in Africa, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have established robust bilateral trade ties over time, with Lagos serving as the nation’s commercial capital. Emirates SkyCargo, the airline’s cargo division, will strengthen the trade partnership by providing more than 300 tonnes of belly-hold cargo capacity into and out of Lagos each week as passenger flights resume daily.
Emirates SkyCargo will support Nigerian businesses by exporting their goods via its state-of-the-art hub in Dubai, into key markets such as the UAE, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Bahrain, among others with key anticipated commodities such as Kola Nuts, food and beverages, and urgent courier material.
Emirates SkyCargo will also import vital goods such as pharmaceuticals and electronics as well as general cargo from key markets such as the UAE, India and Hong Kong. Keeping trade flowing seamlessly, these goods will be transported quickly, efficiently, and reliably via the airline’s multi-vertical specialized product portfolio.
The Emirates Boeing 777-300ER serving Lagos will operate with 8 first-class suites, 42 Business Class seats, and 304 seats in Economy Class.