Emirates to add Bamako, Mali, to global network

Emirates will connect Bamako, the capital and largest city of Mali, to its global network from October 25th 2015.

Bamako is one of the fastest growing cities in the world with a population of about 2.3 million people, and is located in the south western part of Mali on the Niger River.

Once services commence, it will become Emirates’ 28th destination in Africa and sixth in West Africa, further strengthening the region’s connectivity with the world through the airline’s global network of more than 140 destinations across six continents.

Bamako will be linked to Emirates’ current four times weekly service to Dakar, Senegal, which is operated by an Emirates Airbus A340-300 and offers 12 luxurious seats in First Class, 42 deep reclining seats in Business Class and 213 spacious seats in Economy Class.

“There is currently no direct service between Dubai and Bamako.

“Mali has a growing economy and huge tourism potential, and we expect that linking Bamako to our Dakar service will greatly boost both business and leisure travel to and from Mali,” said Adil Al Ghaith, Emirates senior vice president, commercial operations, northern and western Africa.

“For example, Emirates will now connect Bamako with 24 cities in the Far East and Australasia and 16 in the Middle East, through just one convenient stop at our state of the art hub Dubai.

“This will reduce travel time and increase comfort when travelling to and from Mali,” he added.

Mali is one of Africa’s top gold producers, and it also boasts four UNESCO world heritage sites, which are the famous city of Timbuktu, the Old Towns of Djenne, the Tomb of Askia and the Cliff of Bandiagara.