First scheduled direct U.S.-to-Angola flights begin in January
Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) will add an eighth destination to its growing Africa route network in January, with the first-ever scheduled direct service between the United States and Luanda, Angola. Flights will operate three times per week with 243-seat Airbus A330-200 aircraft flying between Delta’s hub at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and Luanda with an intermediate stop in Dakar, Senegal.
The expanded service, which launches on Jan. 20, 2011, does not affect Delta’s previously announced capacity guidance for 2011.
“As the No. 1 U.S. carrier serving Africa, Delta is committed to expanding our presence into fast-growing African markets to better serve our global business travelers," said Perry Cantarutti, Delta's senior vice president of Europe, Middle East and Africa. "This new service between Atlanta and Luanda will shave hours off of business travelers’ itineraries between the U.S. and Angola thanks to more direct routings via the world’s largest airline hub in Atlanta.”
Angola, one of Africa’s fastest growing business travel destinations, has seen double-digit growth in annual travelers for the past several years and is expected to grow at similar rates for the foreseeable future. In addition to Delta’s new direct service, SkyTeam alliance customers will continue to enjoy twice-weekly Boeing 777 service between Luanda and Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport, operated by Air France.
Delta also is working with TAAG Angolan Airlines for TAAG to codeshare on the flights at a future date.
Flights between Atlanta and Luanda via Dakar will be available for sale to customers at delta.com and through travel agencies and other ticketing channels beginning Saturday, Oct. 2. Flights are scheduled as follows:
Flight Departs Arrives Effective Operates
214 Atlanta at 11:05 a.m. Luanda at 8:25 a.m. (next day) Jan. 20, 2011 Monday, Thursday, Saturday
215 Luanda at 10:30 p.m. Atlanta at 9:40 a.m. (next day) Jan. 21, 2011 Tuesday, Friday, Sunday
The new Luanda service marks a return of nonstop service between Atlanta and Dakar, adding to existing year-round service between the Senegalese capital and New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport. Dakar joins Accra, Ghana as the second African city with nonstop service to two of Delta’s U.S. hubs.
“We greatly appreciate the assistance of the U.S. Department of Transportation and U.S. Department of State, whose efforts were instrumental in helping Delta obtain authority to operate this important new route, which will support U.S. jobs and expand commerce between the U.S. and Africa," said Andrea Fischer Newman, Delta's senior vice president – Government Affairs.
As the first major U.S. carrier serving Africa nonstop from the United States, Delta has grown from 22 weekly departures to and from Africa in summer 2007 to nearly 80 in summer 2010.
With its fall 2010 schedules, Delta will operate flights to eight African destinations – Accra, Ghana; Abuja, Nigeria; Cairo, Egypt; Dakar, Senegal; Johannesburg, South Africa; Lagos, Nigeria; Luanda, Angola; and Monrovia, Liberia. Delta also intends to serve Malabo, Equatorial Guinea and Nairobi, Kenya once additional U.S. government approvals are received.
Delta Air Lines serves more than 160 million customers each year. With an industry-leading global network, Delta and the Delta Connection carriers offer service to 354 destinations in 65 countries on six continents. Headquartered in Atlanta, Delta employs more than 75,000 employees worldwide and operates a mainline fleet of more than 700 aircraft. A founding member of the SkyTeam global alliance, Delta participates in the industry’s leading trans-Atlantic joint venture with Air France-KLM and Alitalia. Including its worldwide alliance partners, Delta offers customers more than 13,000 daily flights, with hubs in Amsterdam, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Detroit, Memphis, Minneapolis-St. Paul, New York-JFK, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Salt Lake City and Tokyo-Narita. The airline’s service includes the SkyMiles frequent flier program, the world’s largest airline loyalty program; the award-winning BusinessElite service; and 50 Delta Sky Clubs in airports worldwide. Customers can check in for flights, print boarding passes, check bags and review flight status at delta.com.