DUBAI - Close on the heels of re-introducing double-daily flights, Emirates has announced plans to up frequencies to Mauritius starting 1sy October, 2022.

The additional evening frequency which will operate up till 31st January, 2023, is in response to increased travel demand to and from Mauritius, and will boost connectivity to the island nation.

H.H. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group, said, "We thank the Mauritian authorities for considering our request to operate a third daily flight. Air connectivity is critical to international tourism, and these extra seats will help us bring even more visitors from across our network to Mauritius, and accommodate rising demand. Emirates is committed to playing a key role to promote inbound travel, and support the government in achieving its goal of hosting 1.4 million tourists by June 2023."

The third-daily flight will boost seat capacity to and from Mauritius by approximately 35 percent, catering to the surge in demand and providing added support to the tourism industry during one of the busiest travel seasons.

The added frequency supplements the existing double-daily Airbus A380 services and will also offer customers travelling to Mauritius with more flexibility when planning their trip with the choice of an early morning arrival at Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport in addition to the existing EK 0701 service which arrives mid-morning, and EK 0703 that arrives early evening.

Travellers departing Mauritius will also have ample choice to connect safely and seamlessly to Dubai, and through Dubai onwards to Emirates’ global network of 130 destinations. All three daily flights offer code sharing with Air Mauritius to allow greater access and a seamless travel experience to and from the island nation.

In May this year, Emirates renewed its Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority (MTPA) aimed at jointly promoting the island destination across Emirates’ global network. Mauritius is a very popular leisure destination, and continues to experience consistent growth post-pandemic.

In addition to carrying more passengers, Emirates’ third-daily flight between Dubai and Mauritius will provide around 30-40 tonnes of cargo belly-hold capacity for businesses, further opening global trade lanes through enhanced import and export opportunities.

Emirates started operations to Mauritius in September 2002 with three weekly flights and currently is in its 20th year of operations to the Indian Ocean destination.