Emirates, South African Airways Expand Deal, Offer Nine New Routes

Emirates and South African Airways (SAA) have extended their codeshare agreement allowing travelers access to nine additional destinations across South Africa and neighboring countries.

Since launching the agreement, the airlines have operated on a one-way basis, with SAA placing its code on Emirates-operated flights between Dubai and Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban. The arrangement also gave travelers access to 68 Emirates destinations worldwide through Dubai.

With regulatory approvals secured, the new agreement will see Emirates place its code on SAA-operated flights. The expansion covers nine routes, including three domestic South African services linking Johannesburg with Cape Town, Durban and Port Elizabeth.

The agreement also adds six regional destinations from Johannesburg: Gaborone, Botswana; Harare and Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe; Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo; Lusaka, Zambia; and Windhoek, Namibia.

Adnan Kazim, Emirates deputy president and chief commercial officer, described the reciprocal deal as a “natural evolution” of their longstanding partnership.

“By placing our code on SAA’s domestic and regional network, we are opening up seamless access to destinations across South Africa and neighboring countries,” Kazim stated.

Matshela Seshibe, acting group CEO of SAA, emphasized the strategic importance of the move for regional connectivity. “It is about connecting people, businesses and opportunities across the continent and beyond,” Seshibe said, adding that the initiative reinforces Johannesburg’s role as a premier gateway for African travel, trade and tourism.

Emirates has maintained operations in South Africa since 1995, carrying over 20 million passengers to and from the region. South Africa is also the only market on Emirates’ Africa network to receive all three of Emirates’ current widebody aircraft types: the Airbus A350, A380 and the Boeing 777.