Emirates Expands Codeshare Partnership with South African Airways

Emirates has today announced an expansion of their codeshare partnership with South African Airways, adding nine cities to their network, and expanding connectivity across central and southern Africa. 

Emirates and South African Airways Expand Codeshare Partnership - Courtesy Emirates

On Wednesday (August 5, 2026), Emirates announced an expansion of their codeshare partnership with South African Airways, enabling access to nine cities and establishing the start of a reciprocal codeshare agreement between both carriers.  Since launching their codeshare agreement, Emirates and SAA have operated on a unilateral basis, with SAA placing their code on Emirates-operated flights between Dubai and Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Durban, as well as interline access to 68 Emirates destinations worldwide via Dubai.  With regulatory approvals secured, the new agreement will see Emirates place their code on SAA-operated flights, extending its network deeper into South Africa and neighbouring countries.  Emirates and South African Airways have been partners for almost 30 years, marking one of the longest partnerships in Emirates’ portfolio.

In Wednesday’s announcement, Emirates Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer, Adnan Kazim, said,

“This reciprocal codeshare partnership with South African Airways is a natural evolution of a relationship that has served our customers well for many years.  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, backed by the reliability and consistency our customers expect from Emirates.  It reinforces our long-term commitment to South Africa and wider region, and our confidence in the continent’s continued growth.”

Also commenting on the expanded codeshare partnership, South African Airways’ Acting Group CEO, Matshela Seshibe, said,

“The expansion of our partnership with Emirates marks an important milestone in SAA’s strategy to strengthen connectivity across Africa while enhancing access to global markets.  Through this reciprocal codeshare agreement, customers will benefit from a more seamless travel experience and greater choice across our combined networks.  This partnership is about more than connecting destinations.  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.”

The codeshare expansion covers nine new routes including three domestic South African links connecting Johannesburg with Cape Town, Durban and Port Elizabeth, in addition to six regional routes linking Johannesburg with Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of Congo), Gaborone (Botswana), Windhoek (Namibia), Lusaka (Zambia), Harare (Zimbabwe) and Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe).

Source: Emirates