Moderators: richierich, ua900, PanAm_DC10, hOMSaR
ghdc10 wrote:Apparently, EK has now recovered all it's pre-pandemic routes and frequencies
ghdc10 wrote:Apparently, EK has now recovered all it's pre-pandemic routes and frequencies (save Lagos because of forex controls).
Where do you think they could head next either as a tag-on to existing routes, or new service?
There has been some speculation that EK could go more than 1x daily to ACC but I do not see it being a standalone service on a 777.
Emirates will also augment its current flight frequency to the Ghanaian capital with four additional Boeing 777-300ER flights a week bringing Emirates’ total service to 11 weekly flights to Accra effective 02 June 2019.
Boeing757100 wrote:Just wondering, what is the demand like for flights to Congo? I'm no expert about Africa, but the media has a lot of negative potrayal of the DRC and how unsafe it is, which in my opinion could impact the load factor and yield of a lot of international flights there from a lot of countries. Regardless of this, I don't know if there is much business or tourist demand there because of its rep, and the fact that there are many other economic centers in that general area such as LAD which may attract a larger market, but I don't know.
Then again, Congo-Brazzaville is an OPEC member and I've heard PNR is a hotspot for oil rigs so maybe that could be a driver? But then again why would EK want to route through FIH? Just wondering, I'm no expert
ghdc10 wrote:Apparently, EK has now recovered all it's pre-pandemic routes and frequencies (save Lagos because of forex controls).
Where do you think they could head next either as a tag-on to existing routes, or new service?
My money is on:
Dubai-Douala- Libreville
Dubai-Kinshasa-Brazzaville
Dubai-Accra-Lome/Cotonou (tag-on in addition to daily service continuing to Abidjan). There has been some speculation that EK could go more than 1x daily to ACC but I do not see it being a standalone service on a 777.
Could we also see existing Entebbe service extended to small but fast growing Kigali?
What do you think?
Fuling wrote:ghdc10 wrote:Apparently, EK has now recovered all it's pre-pandemic routes and frequencies
Yeah, that's not true at all.
Boeing757100 wrote:Just wondering, what is the demand like for flights to Congo? I'm no expert about Africa, but the media has a lot of negative potrayal of the DRC and how unsafe it is, which in my opinion could impact the load factor and yield of a lot of international flights there from a lot of countries. Regardless of this, I don't know if there is much business or tourist demand there because of its rep, and the fact that there are many other economic centers in that general area such as LAD which may attract a larger market, but I don't know.
Then again, Congo-Brazzaville is an OPEC member and I've heard PNR is a hotspot for oil rigs so maybe that could be a driver? But then again why would EK want to route through FIH? Just wondering, I'm no expert
Airlinerdude wrote:ghdc10 wrote:Apparently, EK has now recovered all it's pre-pandemic routes and frequencies (save Lagos because of forex controls).
Where do you think they could head next either as a tag-on to existing routes, or new service?
DXB-MPM-GBE is almost certainly the next route. It was meant to be launched during 2020, but for obvious reasons it was not.
DXB-BKO-DKR-DXB was also planned at one point, but never launched.
https://www.routesonline.com/news/38/ai ... -oct-2015/
FZ once flew DXB-EBB-FIH. I think crew security is the main concern with EK flying any FIH route.There has been some speculation that EK could go more than 1x daily to ACC but I do not see it being a standalone service on a 777.
EK was meant to go 11 times weekly in 2019. I don't think these flights ever went ahead.Emirates will also augment its current flight frequency to the Ghanaian capital with four additional Boeing 777-300ER flights a week bringing Emirates’ total service to 11 weekly flights to Accra effective 02 June 2019.
https://www.emirates.com/media-centre/e ... -for-2019/
Flight timings were supposed to be:
EK789 DXB330 735ACC
EK790 ACC1045 2245DXB
Over covid, EK was flying plenty of DXB-ACC-GRU/VCP flights with preighter aircraft. I doubt there would be enough traffic to justify launching a regularly scheduled passenger service though.
ghdc10 wrote:Fuling wrote:ghdc10 wrote:Apparently, EK has now recovered all it's pre-pandemic routes and frequencies
Yeah, that's not true at all.
True. I meant to Africa. Not globally.
usflyer msp wrote:The 77W is too big, they might do more expansion once their 787's arrive - otherwise Africa is more FlyDubai 7M8 territory.
ghdc10 wrote:Apparently, EK has now recovered all it's pre-pandemic routes and frequencies (save Lagos because of forex controls).
Where do you think they could head next either as a tag-on to existing routes, or new service?
My money is on:
Dubai-Douala- Libreville
Dubai-Kinshasa-Brazzaville
Dubai-Accra-Lome/Cotonou (tag-on in addition to daily service continuing to Abidjan). There has been some speculation that EK could go more than 1x daily to ACC but I do not see it being a standalone service on a 777.
Could we also see existing Entebbe service extended to small but fast growing Kigali?
What do you think?
9w748capt wrote:Boeing757100 wrote:Just wondering, what is the demand like for flights to Congo? I'm no expert about Africa, but the media has a lot of negative potrayal of the DRC and how unsafe it is, which in my opinion could impact the load factor and yield of a lot of international flights there from a lot of countries. Regardless of this, I don't know if there is much business or tourist demand there because of its rep, and the fact that there are many other economic centers in that general area such as LAD which may attract a larger market, but I don't know.
Then again, Congo-Brazzaville is an OPEC member and I've heard PNR is a hotspot for oil rigs so maybe that could be a driver? But then again why would EK want to route through FIH? Just wondering, I'm no expert
Back in the day there were some fascinating TRs of trips to/from FIH. From what I've read, Kinshasa certainly has it's issues but it's a massive city that has relatively limited air service (just 2-3 flights per week to Europe maybe?). So there is definitely some demand. Fares are (were?) usually high too.
rukundo wrote:P2P between Kigali and Dubai is probably not very big and RwandAir was already there with their B737-800s 1-2 times a day.
ghdc10 wrote:Central Africa being so under-served raises a question about why more governments don't invest in a collective regional airline. Each country cannot go it alone in a low-margin business. This is not a football tournament.
.
behramjee wrote:Just to clear the air, pre-covid (2019), the annual p2p number of the main EK offline markets in Africa for DXB were as follows:
BZV - 7,000 (at its peak it was 51,000 in 2015 when EC Air used to fly 2-3 weekly B757s BZV-DXB-BZV nonstop)
FIH - 43,000
FBM - 9,000
BKO - 18,000
DLA - 35,000
COO - 5,000
LBV - 11,000 (peak was in 2014 with 19,000 pax)
NKC - 9,000
OUA - 6,000
KGL - 26,000
PNR - 4,000
MPM - 6,000
NDJ - 10,000
LFW - 4,000
NSI - 12,000
NIM - 9,000
GBE - 3,000
In 2019, KQ and ET dominated demand to/from Cameroon and Congo.
Lot of potential for EK to operate a triangle DXB-BZV-FIH-DXB with crew layover in BZV (safer place). The other one following Congo, would be DXB-DLA-NSI-DXB (no issue of crew layover in Cameroon as its quite safe there).
AirIndia wrote:rukundo wrote:P2P between Kigali and Dubai is probably not very big and RwandAir was already there with their B737-800s 1-2 times a day.
Its 1 daily with 738 and 332 alternating
behramjee wrote:Just to clear the air, pre-covid (2019), the annual p2p number of the main EK offline markets in Africa for DXB were as follows:
BZV - 7,000 (at its peak it was 51,000 in 2015 when EC Air used to fly 2-3 weekly B757s BZV-DXB-BZV nonstop)
FIH - 43,000
FBM - 9,000
BKO - 18,000
DLA - 35,000
COO - 5,000
LBV - 11,000 (peak was in 2014 with 19,000 pax)
NKC - 9,000
OUA - 6,000
KGL - 26,000
PNR - 4,000
MPM - 6,000
NDJ - 10,000
LFW - 4,000
NSI - 12,000
NIM - 9,000
GBE - 3,000
In 2019, KQ and ET dominated demand to/from Cameroon and Congo.
Lot of potential for EK to operate a triangle DXB-BZV-FIH-DXB with crew layover in BZV (safer place). The other one following Congo, would be DXB-DLA-NSI-DXB (no issue of crew layover in Cameroon as its quite safe there).
ghdc10 wrote:------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
EK really needs those smaller planes. They could feed more connecting flights with seperate departures from Accra instead of an A380 daily.
ghdc10 wrote:behramjee wrote:Just to clear the air, pre-covid (2019), the annual p2p number of the main EK offline markets in Africa for DXB were as follows:
BZV - 7,000 (at its peak it was 51,000 in 2015 when EC Air used to fly 2-3 weekly B757s BZV-DXB-BZV nonstop)
FIH - 43,000
FBM - 9,000
BKO - 18,000
DLA - 35,000
COO - 5,000
LBV - 11,000 (peak was in 2014 with 19,000 pax)
NKC - 9,000
OUA - 6,000
KGL - 26,000
PNR - 4,000
MPM - 6,000
NDJ - 10,000
LFW - 4,000
NSI - 12,000
NIM - 9,000
GBE - 3,000
In 2019, KQ and ET dominated demand to/from Cameroon and Congo.
Lot of potential for EK to operate a triangle DXB-BZV-FIH-DXB with crew layover in BZV (safer place). The other one following Congo, would be DXB-DLA-NSI-DXB (no issue of crew layover in Cameroon as its quite safe there).
Excellent work bringing these facts to the discussion. I would say it is really important to not look at only Dubai bound traffic though. EK is a huge connecting carrier I know they provide competitive fares to North America from Lagos and Accra depending on how far off one would like to venture off the great circle route. Destinations like China and India in addition to Asia are possibly even more attractive and lucrative than Dubai. Lots of options to Dubai with ET and KQ.
Yaounde always surprises me with the pax numbers: pleasantly, of course!
Would you happen to have ABJ & ACC pax numbers?
CRJ900 wrote:EK should have kept their A330-200s longer, they were perfect for Africa routes capacity-wise, it seems.