MEC confident Emirates to resume Durban flights ‘in next few weeks’

KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs Nomusa Dube-Ncube has expressed confidence “that Emirates will fly to Durban in the next few weeks”.

This after Emirates cancelled a flight that was scheduled to land in Durban on Monday after South Africa recently opened up its borders, allowing international flights to land at the country’s airports.

Dube-Ncube said the speed at which the national government was “resolving issues that resulted in the cancellation of Emirates Airline” was encouraging.

She said it should be remembered that the first Emirates flight between Durban and Dubai was on 1 October 2009. The airline has since carried more than two million passengers on the route.

“In addition, Emirates SkyCargo also remains a key enabler in facilitating global trade and export in South Africa by carrying more than 3 8120 039 tonnes of cargo to and from Durban over the past five years, with the majority being automotive and shipping components and perishables,” Dube-Ncube said

“We want to add more tonnes of agricultural products to this list of goods exported to other countries through our Dube TradePort.”

Meanwhile, Dube-Ncube said the arrival of Qatar Airline on Sunday at 5pm “marks the new chapter in the history of the aviation industry in KwaZulu-Natal since the outbreak of Covid-19”.

Dube-Ncube said the aviation sector remains critical in the reconstruction and transformation of the province’s economy.

“We express our appreciation to the Qatar Airline, pilots and cabin crew who made it possible for the passengers to arrive in Durban safely,” Dube-Ncube said.

“I was impressed by the level of compliance with health protocols aimed at fighting the spread of Covid-19. And, as the department, we have committed to working with Airport Company of South Africa and all airliners to ensure adherence to the safety measures as stipulated by the national government.”

The MEC said other airlines, including British Airways, have indicated that they will resume flights to Durban.

“Also, we are expecting Air-Mauritius, Turkish Airlines and other international airlines to land back in KZN.”

(Compiled by Makhosandile Zulu)

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