Dubai welcomes inaugural flight from Brazzaville, commercial flight starting on March 31st.
DUBAI, UAE – The new Congolese national airline, Equatorial Congo Airlines SA, trading as ECAir, announced its first operation in the Middle East, with the maiden flight arriving from Brazzaville tonight at Dubai International.
ECAir Flight LC061 takes off from Maya-Maya Airport in Brazzaville, Congo, and will land at Dubai International at 10:45PM carrying officials from the Republic of Congo and ECAir delegations including members of the media. The flight will be greeted with the traditional water cannon salute at Dubai International and will be welcomed by HE Mohammed A. Ahli, Director General of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA).
The first flight marked the commencement of a three times a week service between Dubai International Airport (DXB) and Brazzaville, Congo (BZV). The new route will operate a Boeing 757 aircraft configured with 16 business class and 132 economy class seats, the first commercial flight starting on March 31st.
Republic of Congo’s Minister of Transport and Maritime Mr. Gilbert Mokoki and Mayor of Brazzaville Hugues Ngouelondele headed the delegation along with Chairman of EC Air Mr. Jean Louis Osso and Director General of ECAir, Mrs. Fatima Beyina-Moussa.
Chairman Osso said: “This is a historic event for ECAir because this will strengthen our Middle East network through one of the most important hubs in the world. This flight is the first direct connection from Brazzaville, Congo to the United Arab Emirates. The Middle East particularly Dubai is one of the most preferred destinations of travelers from Central Africa because it has so much to offer to both leisure and business travelers. By opening this direct flight from Brazzaville, Congo, with direct connections to Pointe Noire and regional African destinations our customers will arrive in Dubai ready to enjoy their holidays or continue on to many other exciting destinations.”
Helen Woodrow, Vice President of Forecasting & Research at Dubai Airports said, “Africa is a fast growing market with huge potential and we are happy to welcome ECAir as an important link between the Republic of Congo and Dubai one that is sure to further boost tourism, trade and commerce between both markets. Dubai International offers connectivity to more than 284 destinations across six continents through more than 125 airlines and this will translate into great benefits for travellers from Africa.”
According to the annual traffic report released recently by Dubai Airports, the world’s second busiest hub for international passengers showed a 13 per cent increase in 2013 in passenger traffic arriving from Africa. The opening of the new direct route from Brazzaville, Congo will make the airport of Brazzaville as a hub in Central Africa
A press conference will be held tomorrow during which the Minister of Transport and Maritime and officials from Dubai will announce future ties between the two countries and the appointment of Planet Travels & Tours LLC as the General Sales Agent (GSA).
ECAir will fly to Dubai three times a week (Monday, Thursday and Saturday) departing Brazzaville, Congo at 3:05pm and arriving in Dubai at 01:40am the next day. All flights have direct connections to Pointe Noire. Flight leaves Dubai every Tuesday, Friday and Sunday at 03:05am and arrives in Brazzaville, Congo at 07:45am.
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales.
She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.
