Emirates, South African Airways expand codeshare to nine cities

Emirates and South African Airways (SAA) have signed a reciprocal codeshare agreement that adds nine new routes, deepening connectivity across South Africa and neighboring African nations. The expansion includes three domestic links from Johannesburg to Cape Town, Durban and Port Elizabeth, and six regional services to Kinshasa (DRC), Gaborone (Botswana), Windhoek (Namibia), Lusaka (Zambia), Harare and Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe). Under the new arrangement Emirates will place its airline code on SAA‑operated flights, complementing the existing unilateral setup where SAA’s code appears on Emirates flights between Dubai and Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban. Regulatory approvals have been secured and the partnership, now approaching three decades, aims to provide seamless, single‑ticket travel for passengers throughout southern and central Africa. "By placing our code on SAA’s domestic and regional network, we are opening seamless access to destinations across South Africa and neighbouring countries," said Adnan Kazim, Emirates Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer.