Travellers flying to Southern Africa with Emirates will soon have a much wider choice of onward destinations. The airline has expanded its long-standing partnership with South African Airways (SAA), making it easier to book journeys across South Africa and several neighbouring countries on a single itinerary.
For international visitors, this is welcome news. Whether you're planning a safari in Botswana, exploring Namibia's deserts, visiting Victoria Falls or combining several Southern African countries in one trip, the expanded partnership should make travel more convenient.
What has changed?
Until now, the partnership mainly allowed South African Airways (SAA) to sell tickets on Emirates flights between Dubai and South Africa, with connections onwards through Emirates' extensive global network.
Following regulatory approval, the arrangement now works both ways. Emirates can also place its flight code on selected South African Airways (SAA) services, allowing passengers to book more regional flights directly through Emirates.
For travellers, that usually means:
- one booking for the entire journey
- baggage checked through to the final destination (subject to the ticket and airport procedures)
- easier flight connections
- greater protection if a connecting flight is delayed compared with booking separate tickets
New destinations available through the partnership
The expanded reciprocal codeshare adds nine routes operated by South African Airways (SAA).
Domestic South Africa
Travellers arriving in Johannesburg can now connect more easily to:
Regional Southern Africa
The partnership also adds convenient access from Johannesburg to:
- Windhoek, Namibia
- Gaborone, Botswana
- Lusaka, Zambia
- Harare, Zimbabwe
- Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe
- Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo
These additions make Johannesburg an even more useful gateway for exploring Southern Africa.
Why this matters for international travellers
Many visitors from Europe, Asia, Australia and the Middle East already use Emirates to reach South Africa via Dubai. Until now, travelling beyond Johannesburg often required a separate booking with another airline.
With the expanded codeshare, itineraries become much simpler. For example, travellers may now be able to book journeys such as:
- London – Dubai – Windhoek
- Frankfurt – Dubai – Victoria Falls
- Sydney – Dubai – Gaborone
- Mumbai – Dubai – Lusaka
all under a single reservation where the codeshare is available.
This reduces the hassle of managing separate tickets and can make complex multi-country itineraries easier to organise.
A partnership spanning nearly 30 years
Emirates and South African Airways (SAA) have worked together for almost three decades, with Emirates first launching flights to Johannesburg in 1995.
Today, Emirates operates 56 weekly flights to Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban, giving travellers plenty of choice when planning trips to and from South Africa.
Bottom line
The expanded Emirates–South African Airways (SAA) codeshare is good news for anyone planning a trip around Southern Africa. It offers more seamless connections to popular destinations across the region while simplifying the booking process for international travellers.
If you're planning a safari, a self-drive adventure or a multi-country itinerary through Southern Africa, it's worth checking whether your preferred route is now available as a single Emirates booking. It could save both time and unnecessary travel stress.
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