Emirates adds more Dubai-South Africa flights from July 2026

Emirates is expanding its South African network from 01 July 2026, introducing a third daily flight between Dubai and Cape Town and reinstating a fourth daily service between Dubai and Johannesburg. The move will give travellers more flexibility, improved connections and additional seat capacity on one of Southern Africa's busiest international routes.

Third daily Dubai-Cape Town service

From 01 July 2026, Emirates will operate three daily flights between Dubai and Cape Town.

The new service will operate as:

• EK778: Dubai (10:25) – Cape Town (18:05)
• EK779: Cape Town (20:00) – Dubai (07:25 the following day)

The evening departure from Cape Town is particularly attractive for travellers connecting onwards through Dubai to Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Australasia.

Fourth daily Dubai-Johannesburg flight returns

Johannesburg will also benefit from increased capacity as Emirates reintroduces a fourth daily service between OR Tambo International Airport (JNB) and Dubai.

The additional flights will operate as:

• EK768: Johannesburg (10:05) – Dubai (20:15)
• EK767: Dubai (23:20) – Johannesburg (05:30 the following day)

The added frequency provides travellers with more departure options and greater flexibility when planning long-haul journeys.

Why this matters

Dubai remains one of the world's leading aviation hubs, making Emirates a popular choice for travellers heading beyond the Gulf region.

The additional flights offer:

• More connection options to/from Europe, Asia, North America and Australia
• Increased seat availability during busy travel periods
• Greater flexibility when choosing departure times
• Easier access to Southern Africa for international visitors

The expansion is also good news for tourism, making it easier for travellers to reach South Africa and continue onwards to destinations across the region, including Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique.

Planning ahead

If you're travelling during the second half of 2026, the increased Emirates capacity could mean more itinerary choices and potentially better fare availability, especially when booking early.

Travel Tip: When searching for flights, compare all available daily departures. The new services may offer better connection times—or lower fares—depending on your final destination. 

 

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Emirates resumes daily Durban flights: What travellers need to know

update 16 June 2026

Emirates resumed daily direct flights between Dubai and Durban on 10 June 2026. Prior to that, the route was operating only four times per week (Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays).

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Travellers flying to South Africa’s east coast now have significantly more flexibility, with Emirates resuming daily flights between Dubai and Durban.

The restored frequency strengthens international access to KwaZulu-Natal and improves connections to destinations across Europe, Asia, the Middle East, North America, and Australasia via Dubai.

For travellers heading to Durban's beaches, the Drakensberg, northern KwaZulu-Natal game reserves, or the annual Sardine Run, the additional flights make travel planning considerably easier.

Daily Durban flights return

Emirates had previously reduced frequencies amid wider operational disruptions earlier in 2026. The airline has now restored daily Durban services as part of the recovery of its South African network.

The route is operated by a Boeing 777 aircraft, with flights departing Durban in the evening and arriving in Dubai the following morning.

• Dubai 10:15 > 16:35 Durban
• Durban 18:40 > 05:00+1 Dubai

Why this matters for travellers

Durban has traditionally had fewer international long-haul flight options than Johannesburg or Cape Town. The return of daily Emirates services improves accessibility to one of South Africa’s most underrated tourism regions.

The additional flights are particularly useful for:

• beach holidays along the KwaZulu-Natal coast
• safari trips to northern KwaZulu-Natal
• diving and marine tourism
• Drakensberg hiking holidays
• cruise travel via Durban
• business travel

The route also improves multi-destination Southern Africa itineraries, allowing easier connections to Kruger National Park, Cape Town, Johannesburg, Mozambique, and Eswatini.

A boost for KwaZulu-Natal tourism

The restored daily schedule is another positive development for tourism in KwaZulu-Natal ahead of the busy whale watching, safari, and summer travel seasons.

For international travellers, Durban is once again becoming a more convenient gateway to South Africa’seast coast — offering easier access to beaches, wildlife, mountains, and road trip adventures beyond the country’s traditional tourism routes.

 

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Emirates to launch third daily Dubai–Cape Town flight from July 2026!

Building on a year of consistently high demand, Emirates has confirmed that it will introduce a third daily flight between Dubai and Cape Town from 01 July 2026. Operated by a Boeing 777, the additional service will add more than 600 extra seats per day to and from South Africa’s most visited city, significantly boosting capacity for peak-season and year-round travel.

Over the past year, Emirates’ existing double-daily schedule to Cape Town has been operating at exceptionally high seat loads, particularly during peak travel periods. Inbound travel from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) continues to grow, while outbound demand to Europe and the US East Coast remains strong.

The new flight, EK778, will depart Dubai at 10:25 and land at Cape Town International Airport (CPT) in Cape Town at 18:05. The return service, EK779, leaves Cape Town at 20:00, arriving in Dubai at 07:25 the following morning. The evening departure offers travellers another convenient overnight option, with excellent onward connectivity to top long-haul destinations popular with South Africans - such as Thailand, Indonesia, France, Switzerland, and key hubs across East Asia, including the Philippines and China.

Beyond leisure travel, the additional frequency opens new opportunities for business travellers, improving links to important Asian markets and helping strengthen international trade and investment ties.  

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Emirates and South African Airways (SAA) enhance codeshare agreement!

Emirates and South African Airways (SAA), building on almost three decades of strong and successful partnership, are set to further enhance their relationship with a new reciprocal codeshare agreement ahead of the busy peak travel season. The expanded cooperation will strengthen connectivity for travellers, offering smoother journeys across South Africa and the wider African region.

Under the new arrangement, Emirates passengers will benefit from single-ticket itineraries and seamless baggage transfers when travelling from Johannesburg to three major domestic destinations in South Africa – Cape Town, Durban and Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth). The codeshare will also unlock convenient access to 13 regional destinations across Africa, including Abidjan, Accra, Dar es Salaam, Gaborone, Kinshasa, Windhoek, Lagos, Lusaka, Lubumbashi, Harare, Victoria Falls and Mauritius.
This expansion strengthens Emirates’ ability to tap into feeder traffic from South Africa and the wider region, while supporting long-haul connectivity for travellers from key markets such as the UK and the US.

SAA customers will continue to enjoy streamlined access to Dubai, supported by Emirates’ soon-to-be 56 weekly flights from three South African gateways, and onward travel to 68 international destinations available on an interline basis. Since January 2025, more than 45,000 passengers have already taken advantage of the existing partnership.

The upgraded agreement was signed at the 2025 Dubai Airshow by Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer, and Professor M. John Lamola, SAA Group Chief Executive Officer. The new agreement also outlines future areas of collaboration, including loyalty programme integration, cargo operations, and opportunities to optimise schedules and network synergies.

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Emirates increases flights to Madagascar to meet growing travel demand!

The largest airline in the Middle East, Emirates, is set to introduce additional flights to Madagascar. The airline will increase the number of flights between Dubai International Airport (DXB) in Dubai and and Ivato International Airport (TNR) in Antananarivo from the current four weekly flights to six-weekly services, starting 02 April 2025.
According to Emirates, the airline has witnessed tremendous demand for its passenger services, both inbound and outbound, between Dubai and Madagascar since flights commenced in September 2024.
To meet seasonal demand, Emirates recently increased its services for a temporary period, from four to five weekly flights and the new frequency represents a significant boost to its operations and capacity on the route. The expanded schedule between Dubai and Antananarivo, linked via Seychelles International Airport (SEZ) on Mahe, will operate on all days except Mondays.

(c) Emirates

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