Emirates, SAA expand codeshare partnership

Dhaka: Emirates and South African Airways (SAA) have expanded their codeshare partnership, adding nine new routes and launching a reciprocal agreement between the two carriers, said the former in an official announcement on August 5.

The expanded deal opens up more destinations across central and southern Africa, making it easier for travelers to connect through the region.

Until now, the partnership had run on a unilateral basis, with SAA placing its code on Emirates flights between Dubai and Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Durban, along with interline access to 68 Emirates destinations via Dubai.

Under the new agreement, Emirates will place its code on SAA-operated flights, extending its reach further into South Africa and neighboring countries.

The nine new routes include three domestic South African links, connecting Johannesburg with Cape Town, Durban, and Port Elizabeth, and six regional routes, linking Johannesburg with Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Gaborone in Botswana, Windhoek in Namibia, Lusaka in Zambia, and Harare and Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe.

Emirates and SAA have been partners for nearly 30 years, one of the longest-running alliances in Emirates' network. The relationship dates back to 1997 and has offered passengers frictionless, single-ticket travel since then.

Emirates Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer Adnan Kazim said the reciprocal codeshare marks a natural evolution of a long relationship between the two carriers.

He added that placing Emirates' code on SAA's domestic and regional network opens seamless access to South Africa and neighboring countries, backed by the reliability customers expect from Emirates.

SAA Acting Group CEO Matshela Seshibe called the expansion a major step in the South African national carrier's strategy to strengthen African connectivity while improving access to global markets.

Seshibe said the reciprocal agreement would give customers a more seamless travel experience and greater choice across the combined networks of both airlines.

He added that the partnership reinforces Johannesburg's position as a key gateway for travel, trade, and tourism across the African continent.

Emirates has served South Africa since 1995, when it launched its first flight to Johannesburg. The airline has since carried more than 20 million passengers to and from the market.

The carrier currently operates 56 weekly flights across Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Durban. South Africa remains the only market on Emirates' African network served by all three of its widebody types, the Airbus A350, Airbus A380, and Boeing 777.

Emirates' Premium Economy product is also available on flights between Dubai and both Cape Town and Johannesburg.

The Dubai-based carrier said passengers traveling on the new codeshare routes will benefit from single-ticket bookings, coordinated flight schedules, and through-checked baggage to their final destination.