Emirates Airlines is going to introduce non-stop flights to Dakar, Senegal, five times a week (Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday), effective September 1, 2010. The service will be operated by an A340-300 aircraft, offering a three-class configuration of 12 First Class, 42 Business and 213 Economy Class seats.

Emirates flight 797 will depart Dubai at 09:55 am and arrive in Dakar's Léopold Sédar Senghor International Airport at 16:00 pm the same day. The return flight will depart from Dakar at 17:40 pm, arriving in Dubai at 07:15 am the following morning. The service connects seamlessly to key centres in the Middle East, the Indian Sub-continent, Asia and the Far East.
 
To celebrate the launch of its new route to Dakar, Emirates Airlines will offer First and Business Class passengers a complimentary stay at a leading hotel in Dubai, plus a free 96 hour Visa when they book a return flight to the Senegalese capital.
 
First Class passengers will receive a free two night stay at the five-star Jumeirah Emirates Towers Hotel, while Business Class travellers will be offered a one night complimentary stay. The offer applies to return journeys taken by passengers travelling exclusively with Emirates Airlines from September 1-30, 2010.
 
Richard Vaughan, Divisional Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations Worldwide, Emirates Airlines said, “Senegal is a fascinating country which will soon become within easy reach of the Middle East, thanks to our new route to Dakar – the first direct service from the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council).”
 
Dakar will be Emirates Airlines fifth new route in 2010, following Tokyo on March 28th, 2010 Amsterdam on May 1, 2010; Prague on July 1, 2010 and Madrid on August 1, 2010. Dakar is also Emirates Airlines third new African destination in less than 12 months, after Durban and Luanda joined the network in late 2009.