SAA strikes major new deal with Emirates to add nine new flight routes

South African Airways (SAA) has announced an expansion of its codeshare partnership with Emirates, adding nine new flight routes to the airline’s network.

The official announcement of the expansion was published on 5 August 2026 in a joint press statement between SAA and Emirates.

This expansion includes three new domestic flights connecting Johannesburg to Cape Town, Durban, and Gqeberha.

It also includes six regional routes connecting Johannesburg to Kinshasa, Gaborone, Windhoek, Lusaka, Harare, and Victoria Falls.

The expansion of the codeshare partnership will also see Emirates place its code on SAA-operated flights, extending its network deeper into Southern Africa.

Emirates Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer Adnan Kazim said this was a “natural evolution” in the partnership between the two airlines, which began in 1997.

“By placing our code on SAA’s domestic and regional network, we are opening up seamless access to destinations across South Africa and neighbouring countries,” Kazim said.

“It reinforces our long-term commitment to South Africa and the wider region, and our confidence in the continent’s continued growth.”

Emirates began flying to South Africa with its inaugural flight to Johannesburg in 1995. Since then, more than 20 million passengers have flown in and out of the country on the airline.

The airline has expanded its network to include flights to Cape Town and Durban as well, and currently operates 56 flights every week across those three destinations.

SAA Acting Group CEO Matshela Seshibe said the expansion of the codeshare partnership was an important milestone in the carrier’s strategy to enhance access to global markets.

“This partnership is about more than connecting destinations,” Seshibe said. “It is about connecting people, businesses and opportunities across the continent and beyond.”

“By combining SAA’s growing African network with Emirates’ extensive global reach, we are creating greater value for our customers and reinforcing Johannesburg’s role as a key gateway for travel, trade, and tourism in Africa.”

Turning SAA around

The expansion of the partnership agreement between SAA and Emirates could be the key to unlocking SAA’s financial recovery.

SAA has struggled financially for many years, requiring multiple government bailouts to keep the flag carrier afloat.

Earlier this year, the airline came under fire for seemingly misrepresenting its financial results as profitable, when in fact the company had incurred a substantial loss.

The sudden resignations of the group’s CEO, CFO, and 3 board members within a short period drew more scrutiny on the state of the airline.

In an interview with Newzroom Afrika, Seshibe said the new agreement with Emirates would be directly beneficial to SAA’s financial turnaround.

“This is a commercial arrangement between SAA and Emirates,” Seshibe explained. “It is very lucrative to us.” “For every ticket that we sell on Emirates’ code, we get a share.”

“Every ticket they sell on our aircraft, we get a share. It enables us to increase sales, and on our side more so, because we will be placing our passengers on their aircraft.”

Seshibe explained that the partnership will allow SAA to fly to Dubai, whilst simultaneously allowing Emirates to fly to Southern African countries such as Namibia and Zimbabwe.

He said the agreement would enable SAA to operate sustainably without needing to invest in heavy equipment and expensive aircraft.

It will also allow SAA to offset some of the costs incurred due to the rise in jet fuel prices earlier this year, which peaked at a 150% increase as a result of the war in the Middle East.

While this caused a significant drop in demand for SAA’s flights as the airline was forced to raise prices, Seshibe expressed optimism about the airline’s future.

“We are happy about the progress we have made so far this year,” Seshibe said. “We are coming out of the crisis that came out of the Middle East with regards to jet fuel.”

“The second phase of our journey is to stabilise our operations, and start looking at the next frontiers of growth. This partnership is part and parcel of our expansion programme.”