Emirates and South African Airways extend codeshare agreement
The recent deal builds upon the existing codeshare agreement between the two airlines that was inked back in 1997
Aiming to further ties and open up new opportunities for collaboration, Emirates has penned an enhanced codeshare agreement with South African Airways (SAA), the South African flag carrier.
The recent agreement, which is still pending governmental approval, builds upon the ongoing collaboration between the two carriers that dates back to 1997.
“This agreement marks a significant forward step in the execution of our strategy and in transforming our business. It will enable us to explore and leverage synergies between ourselves in a much more enhanced relationship of mutual benefit,” said Vuyani Jarana, CEO of South African Airways.
“Our route network and that of Emirates complement one another. The expansion of our partnership will further strengthen key focus areas of the implementation of our turnaround plan.”
Back in 2017, Emirates and SAA inked a codeshare agreement that reportedly benefited 90,000 passengers with enhanced travel and connectivity. That agreement was built upon a longstanding collaboration that spans over 20 years.
Following the launch of Emirates flights between Dubai and Johannesburg in 1995, Emirates signed a codeshare agreement with SAA in 1997, the first signed by the UAE-based airline in its history.
To date, SAA offers travellers seat on eight daily flights operated by Emirates between South Africa and Dubai, which includes four daily flights from Johannesburg served by an A380 aircraft.
Lastly, the new agreement includes plans to enhance the frequent flyer programmes utilised by each carrier, Emirates’ Skywards and Voyager by SAA. As a Voyager airline partner, loyalty programme members can earn and redeem miles on flights flown by Emirates.
“We remain deeply committed to our decades-long relationship with SAA, and the forthcoming expansion of our codeshare agreement is an exciting development and a significant milestone in our history in South Africa,” said Sir Tim Clark, President, Emirates Airline.
“We have seen great success with the codeshare agreement, having enabled greater connectivity to both SAA and Emirates customers, by offering more choice, flexibility and ease of connections to a wide range of cities via Dubai and across more points in Southern Africa.
“Increasing the scope of our agreement underpins the strong bonds we share with SAA and our belief that this enhanced partnership will enable further success and gain to the airlines and their customers,” he added.