Cargolux Airlines will launch flights to Lubumbashi in the Democratic Republic of Congo on September 15, 2017 and to Douala in Cameroon on October 3, 2017.

“Africa has always been and will always be an important market for Cargolux and we are happy to be able to support the continent’s trade lanes to Europe, the United States and Asia as well as across the Cargolux network worldwide,” said Jonathan Clark, regional director of Africa at Cargolux.

The Lubumbashi flight will be routed via Johannesburg, Nairobi and Stansted on the way back to Luxembourg, while the Douala flight will be routed via Bamako on the southbound leg.

Lubumbashi is the second-largest city in the DRC after the capital Kinshasa and is a hub for the country’s mining industry. Exports include textiles, food and beverages, copper and cobalt.

Douala is Cameroon’s largest city and home to the largest seaport in Central Africa. It is the country’s economic and commercial capital, handling most of its exports including oil, cocoa, coffee, fruits, metal and timber. Europe and Asia are the country’s major export and import partners.

Cargolux will offer its own road feeder services to Yaoundé, the capital of Cameroon. The carrier expects import commodities to include hi-tech goods, agricultural products and machinery, while export shipments will mainly consist of perishables and fruit and vegetables destined for Europe.

Cargolux already serves 33 destinations in Africa, some via interline partners and trucking connections.

The schedule for the new flights is as follows.