Emirates and Air Mauritius link as first A380 opens Indian Ocean route

Emirates responded by launching a daily A380 service to the Indian Ocean island from his home base.
The agreement was signed by Air Mauritius CEO, André Viljoen, (pictured centre left)  and the executive vice president and chief commercial officer of Emirates, Thierry Antinori (centre right) at the SSR International Airport, Mauritius.
The agreement increases the number of seats allocated to Air Mauritius on Emirates flights, with the introduction of the daily A380 service on the Mauritius-Dubai route as from today.
It broadens Air Mauritius access through codesharing on Emirates routes between Dubai and Russia, Czech Republic, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, China, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The whole Emirates network will also be considered for potential collaborations.
The two airlines are also finalising the terms of a participation in their mutual loyalty programs.
Air Mauritius began talks with the Gulf airline following an overhaul of its business model and a review of its network structure. It has optimised direct operations to high potential hub destinations such as Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Mumbai and New Delhi for Asia, Johannesburg and Nairobi for Africa and key European hubs like Heathrow in the UK and Charles-de-Gaulle in France
“I am delighted with this new agreement with Emirates,” said Viljoen. It is an important agreement for our two airlines as it provides Air Mauritius with the opportunity to offer our passengers, business partners and the country at large, better access to a broader network. Emirates is one of our key partners, which has consolidated its presence worldwide in a very short time through its Dubai hub. Air Mauritius was collaborating with Emirates and with this enhanced agreement, Dubai becomes an important hub in our network”
The introduction of the A380 to Mauritius is the first for any Indian Ocean destination and Emirates’ first A380 service to the African continent. The move allows Emirates to bring an extra 153 passengers each day. Travel demand to the island is growing, and Emirates in 2012 carried over 350,000 passengers and 6,000 tonnes of cargo between Mauritius and its global network of 130-plus destinations spanning 78 countries.
The aircraft was met today by Michael Sik Yuen, Minister of Tourism and Leisure; Andre Viljoen; Anand Kinnoo, acting director of civil aviation, and Rohit Ramnawaz, chairman, Mauritius airport..
“Since August 2008 Emirates has served over 18 million passengers on our A380s. Our customers love it, and we continue to see a big demand to fly on the aircraft,” said Thierry Antinori. “Our A380 service to Mauritius means passengers from key markets such as London, Paris, Moscow and Shanghai, flying via our hub in Dubai, now have the chance to experience a seamless Emirates A380 experience.”

Mauritius is renowned for its world-class beaches and local hospitality. To showcase those attributes and to celebrate the arrival of the A380, Emirates worked with 100 local Pirogue fishermen to create a Mauritian-style “Hello A380” greeting to all global travellers. This was orchestrated in the stunning setting of Blue Bay Reserve Marine Park, located in the south-east of the island.
The A380 will operate as flight EK 701 departing from Dubai International Airport at 03.10 hours and arriving in Mauritius at 09.40. The return flight EK 702 will depart at 18.20 hours and arrives in Dubai at 01.10 the next day. Emirates also operates a second daily flight to the country using a Boeing 777-300.