Delta Air Lines is celebrating a decade of flying to Africa. Over the past 10 years, the airline has welcomed 4.2 million customers on board its services to the United States – almost three times the population of Accra.
Delta’s first flight landed in Accra on December 12, a week after the inaugural services to Dakar, Senegal, and Johannesburg, South Africa.
An additional service to Lagos, Nigeria, was added one year later. Since then, Delta has become the leading airline between the United States and Africa as well as the only one to link North America with Ghana and Senegal nonstop.
“Delta has invested billions of dollars to enhance the service we offer our customers in Africa and across the globe since our inaugural flights here,” said Jimmy Eichelgruen, Delta’s Sales Director for Africa, India and the Middle East.
“We have added fully flat-bed seats, on-demand entertainment and Wi-Fi to every flight across the Atlantic. Travellers will also now find regional cuisine and dedicated airport facilities but one thing that hasn’t changed is our commitment to offering the same levels of customer service that have made us the favourite U.S. airline serving this continent.”
Some of Delta’s other notable achievements in Africa over the past 10 years include:
- 22,000 flights operated between Africa and the United States
- 95% of North America being accessible via one-stop connections in Atlanta and New York-JFK
- 9 million meals served on board
- Partnerships with leading community organisations, such as Breast Care International in Ghana and the Amy Biehl Foundation in South Africa
- Being the only carrier to offer Wi-Fi on every flight
Today, Delta flies nonstop to four points in Africa; Accra, Ghana, Dakar, Senegal, Johannesburg, South Africa and Lagos, Nigeria.
It also has reservations/ticketing and sales offices in a number of additional markets, including Kenya and Uganda.
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Source: Delta Air Lines