Building on almost three decades of partnership, Emirates and South African Airways are further enhancing their relationship, working towards a reciprocal codeshare agreement, ahead of the busy peak travel season.  

With single ticket fare and hassle-free baggage handling, Emirates customers will be able to enjoy seamless access from Johannesburg to three domestic points in South Africa – Cape Town, Durban and Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth), and a further thirteen regional points in Africa including Abidjan, Accra, Botswana, Dar es Salaam, Kinshasa, Windhoek, Lagos, Lusaka, Lubumbashi, Harare, Victoria Falls, Windhoek, and Mauritius. The codeshare will enable Emirates to tap into feeder traffic from South Africa, and regionally alongside long-haul connecting passengers from the UK and US. 

This builds on the existing codeshare partnership, that provides South African Airways customers with access to Dubai on Emirates’ soon-to-be 56 weekly flights from three gateways, as well as a further 68 global destinations available on an interline basis. Since January, 45,000 passengers have taken advantage of this partnership.  

The agreement was signed at the 2025 Dubai Airshow, by Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer and Professor John Lamola, Group Chief Executive Officer of South African Airways.

Beyond the reciprocal codeshare, the MoU also outlines scope to explore further collaboration across loyalty programmes and cargo operations, as well as closer cooperation to explore synergies between their shared network and schedules.  

Kazim said: “The partnership Emirates inked with South African Airways was one of the first on our portfolio. Since signing in 1997, our collaboration has created reliable connectivity for passengers to explore more of the globe with simplified, seamless travel. South Africa remains a cornerstone of our African network, and one of the most consistently busy routes we serve, and partnerships like this are essential for us to serve our customers travelling in and out of the market. We will continue to collaborate with South African Airways to unlock benefits for our mutual customers.” 

“This enhanced codeshare agreement marks a significant milestone in our 28-year partnership with Emirates. It reflects South African Airways’ commitment to delivering seamless connectivity for our customers and strengthening South Africa’s position as a key aviation hub. By expanding our collaboration, we are unlocking greater travel and trade opportunities across Africa and globally, ensuring that our passengers benefit from world-class service and convenience,” Lamola said. -TradeArabia News Service