Dubai: Emirates and South African Airways have agreed to expand their long-standing partnership by enhancing their reciprocal codeshare arrangement, thereby strengthening seamless travel options ahead of the peak season. The enhanced agreement aims to provide Emirates customers traveling from Johannesburg with connections to domestic destinations such as Cape Town, Durban, and Gqeberha, in addition to thirteen regional points across Africa. This development is set to facilitate long-haul traffic from the UK and US into the South African market.
According to Emirates News Agency, the expanded agreement builds on an existing arrangement that offers South African Airways passengers access to Dubai on Emirates' 56 weekly flights from three gateways, along with onward connections to 68 global destinations. Since January, 45,000 passengers have taken advantage of this partnership. The agreement was signed during the 2025 Dubai Airshow by Adnan Kazim, Emirates Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer, and Professor M. John Lamola, Group Chief Executive Officer of South African Airways. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) also aims to explore further cooperation in areas such as loyalty programs, cargo operations, and network coordination.
Kazim highlighted that the long-standing partnership has delivered reliable connectivity for nearly three decades, emphasizing that South Africa remains a key market for Emirates' African operations. Lamola stated that the updated agreement enhances South Africa's position as an aviation hub and expands opportunities for travel and trade.
In addition, Emirates announced a third daily flight on the Dubai-Cape Town route starting from 1st July, 2026. Operated by a Boeing 777, this new frequency will add more than 600 daily seats to support the rising demand on one of the airline's busiest African routes. The new EK778 service is scheduled to depart Dubai at 10:25 and arrive in Cape Town at 18:05. The return EK779 flight will depart Cape Town at 20:00 and arrive in Dubai at 07:25 the following day, providing improved connectivity to key destinations in Asia and Europe.
As Emirates marks 30 years of operations in South Africa, the airline continues to invest in the market by expanding Johannesburg services and deploying its first retrofitted Boeing 777 in Africa, which features upgraded cabins and the airline's Premium Economy product.