Emirates, South African Airways Expand Codeshare Partnership

Emirates and South African Airways (SAA) have expanded their codeshare partnership, enabling access to nine cities and establishing the start of a reciprocal codeshare agreement.

• Since launching their codeshare agreement, Emirates and SAA have operated on a unilateral basis, with SAA placing its code on Emirates-operated flights between Dubai and Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Durban, as well as interline access to 68 Emirates destinations worldwide via Dubai.
• With regulatory approvals secured, the new agreement will see Emirates place its code on SAA-operated flights, extending its network deeper into South Africa and neighbouring countries.
• The expansion covers nine new routes including three domestic South African links connecting Johannesburg with Cape Town, Durban and Port Elizabeth, in addition to six regional routes linking Johannesburg with Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of Congo), Gaborone (Botswana), Windhoek (Namibia), Lusaka (Zambia), Harare (Zimbabwe) and Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe).

"By combining SAA’s growing African network with Emirates’ extensive global reach, we are creating greater value for our customers and reinforcing Johannesburg’s role as a key gateway for travel, trade and tourism in Africa,” Matshela Seshibe, Acting Group CEO of SAA, said.

Emirates and South African Airways have been partners for almost 30 years, marking one of the longest partnerships in Emirates’ portfolio.