Emirates Airlines and South African Airways (SAA) have reinforced their nearly 30-year partnership with a comprehensive reciprocal codeshare agreement, timed to enhance travel options during the busy holiday season. The collaboration aims to improve connectivity for passengers while increasing traffic across both airlines’ networks, according to a statement released to The PUNCH by SAA.
Codeshare agreements allow one airline to sell seats on flights operated by another, enabling travellers to book a single ticket for multiple legs of a journey with seamless baggage transfers. Under the new arrangement, Emirates passengers flying from Johannesburg can now connect easily to domestic destinations including Cape Town, Durban, and Gqeberha, as well as 13 additional cities across Africa such as Abidjan, Accra, Dar es Salaam, Kinshasa, Windhoek, Lagos, Lusaka, Harare, Lubumbashi, Victoria Falls, and Mauritius.
The upgraded agreement, signed during the 2025 Dubai Airshow, will allow Emirates to better access feeder traffic from South Africa and the region, while also strengthening long-haul flows from key markets like the United Kingdom and the United States. The deal builds on the existing partnership, which already enables SAA passengers to connect to Emirates’ expanding Dubai schedule, soon to reach 56 weekly flights and 68 onward destinations worldwide. Since January, over 45,000 travellers have benefited from the arrangement.
The agreement was formalised by Emirates’ Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer, Adnan Kazim, and SAA’s Group Chief Executive Officer, Prof. John Lamola. Kazim highlighted that the collaboration has been a central component of Emirates’ African strategy since 1997. “Our partnership has made global travel simpler and more convenient for passengers,” he said. “South Africa remains a key market within our African network and one of our busiest routes.” He added that both airlines will continue to explore ways to enhance customer benefits.
Lamola described the agreement as a major step in the carriers’ 28-year relationship. “It demonstrates SAA’s commitment to offering smooth connectivity for our customers while strengthening South Africa’s position as a regional aviation hub,” he said. “Expanding our partnership unlocks more opportunities for travel and trade across Africa and beyond, while delivering world-class service to passengers.”
The memorandum of understanding also outlines plans for closer collaboration in loyalty programmes, cargo operations, and flight schedule coordination.
Additionally, Emirates confirmed it will add a third daily flight between Dubai and Cape Town starting 1 July 2026, operated by a Boeing 777. The new service will provide more than 600 additional seats per day on one of South Africa’s most popular routes. Emirates noted strong demand on the Cape Town route, with consistently high load factors on the existing double-daily schedule. Inbound traffic from Gulf countries continues to grow, while outbound travel remains robust to Europe and the US East Coast.
Overall, the expanded codeshare and added flights underscore the airlines’ shared focus on improving passenger convenience, boosting connectivity, and reinforcing Africa’s role in the global aviation network.
