Emirates and South African Airways (SAA) have expanded their codeshare partnership to cover nine additional cities, marking the start of a reciprocal arrangement between the two carriers, the airlines announced in a joint statement.

Under the deal, Emirates will now place its code on SAA-operated flights, extending its network into South Africa and neighbouring countries. Previously, the partnership operated 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 worldwide via Dubai.

The expansion adds three domestic South African routes—connecting Johannesburg with Cape Town, Durban, and Port Elizabeth—along with six regional routes linking Johannesburg to Kinshasa, Gaborone, Windhoek, Lusaka, Harare, and Victoria Falls.

Emirates and SAA have been partners since 1997, making it one of the longest-standing partnerships in the Emirates network. The airlines said the expanded codeshare would give customers single-ticket bookings, coordinated schedules, and through-checked baggage on the new routes.

Adnan Kazim, Emirates' Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer, described the reciprocal arrangement as a natural evolution of a relationship that has served customers for years, saying it would open seamless access to destinations across South Africa and neighbouring countries while reinforcing Emirates' long-term commitment to the region.

Matshela Seshibe, Acting Group CEO of SAA, called the expansion an important milestone in SAA's strategy to strengthen African connectivity while improving access to global markets. He said the reciprocal agreement was about connecting people, businesses, and opportunities across the continent and would reinforce Johannesburg's role as a gateway for travel, trade, and tourism in Africa.

Emirates has flown to South Africa since 1995, when it launched service to Johannesburg. The airline currently operates 56 weekly flights across Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Durban and says it has carried more than 20 million passengers to and from the South African market. It is the only market in Emirates' Africa network served by all three of the airline's widebody aircraft types—the Boeing 777, Airbus A380, and A350.

Tickets for the new codeshare routes can be booked on Emirates' website, through travel agents, or at Emirates retail stores, the airlines said.

Source: PR