Dubai-based Emirates Airline has announced plans to schedule flight operations to Zambia and Zimbabwe to a daily service, Arabianbusiness reported on Tuesday.

Commenting on the development, Jean Luc Grillet, Senior Vice President of Commercial Operations for Africa said the latest boost to Emirates’ African network was “testament to the continuous upward growth in demand for flights to and from the continent”

“A daily service to Lusaka and Harare will mean greater choice for customers, while an increased cargo capacity of 40 per cent will facilitate more export business opportunities for both countries, forging greater trade links and increasing access to key trading partners in Asia and the Middle East,” added Grillet.

According to reports, the Dubai to Lusaka route, and that of Dubai-Harare currently operating five times a week and has carried 43,000 passengers since its launch on February 1, will be upgraded to a daily service from October 1, 2012.

The development is welcomed as Africa’s aviation industry has been tipped to soar; owing to rapid development in the continent’s emerging economies, materialisation of investment potentials and burgeoning consumer market that constantly drive business and leisure travel.

Presently, Emirates. which is the largest airline is the Middle East, operates to 123 destinations in 73 countries, with a fleet of 175 aircraft, and it currently services 21 passenger and cargo destinations across the African continent.

Reports also indicate that the airline is set to launch flight services to four more destinations – Barcelona, Lisbon, Erbil and Washington, DC – over the next three months.