Emirates, one of the biggest Middle Eastern airlines, has announced that it is expanding its strategic cooperation with South Africa’s flag carrier South African Airways (SAA).
Pending governmental approval, SAA and Emirates have signed an enhanced commercial partnership which will see the relationship between the two carriers strengthen their codeshare agreement signed in 1997, across a wide spectrum of commercial and customer touch points.
The two airlines will work towards bringing more synergies in their respective route network, customer touch points, cargo services and flight schedules to enable seamless connectivity and enhance passenger flows. Connectivity will be improved by adjusting connecting times through Johannesburg, with a special focus on popular regional markets.
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Also, the two airlines plan to enhance the frequent flyer programmes, Emirates’ Skywards and Voyager by SAA. Emirates became a Voyager airline partner in 2000, which means Voyager members are able to earn and redeem Miles on flights operated by Emirates; and similarly, Skywards members are able to earn and redeem Miles on SAA-operated flights.
In 2017-18, the codeshare agreement between Emirates and SAA saw approximately 90,000 passengers benefit from seamless travel and greater connectivity, in this year alone. Emirates launched operations to South Africa in 1995 with flights between Dubai and Johannesburg.
In FY 2017-18, Emirates carried over 1.7 million passengers to and from its three points in South Africa, and over 61,800 tonnes of high value cargo – including seafood, fruits and vegetables, fresh and frozen meats, wine, pharmaceuticals and gold.
