Emirates boosts Madagascar flights to meet robust travel demand

Dubai, UAE – 15 January 2025: Following Emirates’ successful launch to Madagascar in September 2024, the airline will introduce additional flights to the island nation, boosting its schedule from four to six-weekly services, starting 2 April 2025. The move reinforces the airline’s commitment to support Madagascar’s tourism ambitions to accommodate more leisure visitors and promote the island destination to global audiences.

The boost in operations, in response to strong demand for its passenger services between the capital city and Dubai, was announced at a press conference held by Madagascar’s Ministry of Transport, Ministry of Tourism, and Emirates in Antananarivo today.

Since flights commenced last year, Emirates has witnessed tremendous demand for its passenger services, both inbound and outbound, between Antananarivo and Dubai. With the current four weekly flights operating at near full capacity, the significant uplift to the number of seats offered on the route will support Madagascar’s efforts to increase visitor arrivals into the country, while also providing more choice and convenience for travellers to plan trips to and from the popular Indian Ocean destination.

Announcing the expansion of Emirates’ services to the island at the press conference, Essa Sulaiman Ahmad, Emirates’ Senior Vice President of Commercial Operations for West Asia and Indian Ocean said: “We are pleased to boost our services to Madagascar by offering two additional flights per week in line with soaring demand for travel since the start of operations. Our growing flight schedule to the island means better connectivity, more choice and convenient options for travellers. Enhancing services will also strengthen the economic ties between Madagascar and the UAE, by supporting more inbound and outbound leisure and business travel to the island and bolstering trade lanes with additional cargo capacity. As tourism to Madagascar flourishes, local businesses thrive, generating a ripple effect that benefits the local communities.  We would like to thank the authorities, the Ministry of Transport and Ministry of Tourism for their support, and we look forward to strengthening our connections and supporting the nation’s development as it looks towards the future.”

To meet seasonal demand, Emirates recently increased its services for a temporary period, from four to five weekly flights and the new frequency represents a significant boost to its operations and capacity on the route.

“We have been diligently supporting the country’s tourism agenda by promoting the destination across our network, which is evident from the healthy bookings, and we will make every effort to continue raising awareness around the vibrant island’s unique charm and stunning natural landscapes to support sustainable traffic growth,” added Ahmad. 

The expanded schedule between Dubai and Antananarivo, linked via Mahe, will operate on all days except Mondays.

Flights EK707 and EK708 are scheduled to operate as follows (all times are local):

Tickets can be booked immediately on emirates.com, Emirates World retail stores, the Emirates App, and through travel agencies. Holiday packages can also be booked through Emirates Holidays and other tour operators around the globe.

Highlighting the importance of Emirates’ additional flights to Madagascar, His Excellency Dr Manambahoaka Valéry F. Ramonjavelo, Minister of Transport and Meteorology said: “Since February 2024, we have accelerated the strengthening of trust between the United Arab Emirates and Madagascar, and the air connectivity provided by Emirates contributes to these ties being built between our two countries. The increase to six weekly frequencies by Emirates is a strong signal of confidence in the country, particularly in the tourism destination of the Great Island. We are on the right path to achieving more than one flight per day.”

Madagascar’s Minister of Tourism and Handicrafts, Viviane Dewa added: “The arrival of Emirates, with direct flights to Madagascar, has been a breath of fresh air for our tourism sector. This flight has connected our island to over 140 destinations worldwide, thereby opening up new opportunities for the promotion of Madagascar as a destination. Our ambitious target of reaching one million tourists by 2028 will be significantly supported by the continued improvement of air connectivity, particularly through major hubs such as Dubai, and by collaborating with renowned airlines such as Emirates. On behalf of the Ministry of Tourism and Handicrafts of Madagascar, we look forward to further strengthening the partnership with Emirates to provide smoother air transport and welcoming more international tourists, thereby contributing to the growth of our tourism sector.”

Emirates has supported Madagascar’s tourism agenda by promoting it as a top leisure destination to its global network of tour operators. Its efforts have included planning familiarisation trips for 32 of its top travel agencies from major feeder markets to visit the island. Amongst the island’s main attractions, Madagascar is home to three UNESCO world heritage sites and is celebrated for its thriving biodiversity.

Over the past few months, the airline has experienced strong demand from the UAE, Sri Lanka, France, UK, mainland China, Japan, Spain, and Italy to Madagascar. From Madagascar, travellers have mainly ventured to Dubai, the hub city of Emirates, in addition to Seychelles, France, India, Sri Lanka, Italy and Japan. 

With the boost to services to Madagascar, Emirates’ flights aboard the Boeing 777 aircraft allow additional cargo capacity for imports and exports, with the ability to uplift up to 20 tonnes of cargo per flight in the aircraft’s bellyhold.