Dubai, United Arab Emirates- (UAE-) based global major airline Emirates has announced that, with effect from July 1 next year, it will operate a third daily flight on its Dubai-Cape Town route. This follows hot on the heels of the carrier’s announcement that it has signed an enhanced codeshare agreement with South African Airways (SAA).

The new Dubai-Cape Town service will be operated with a Boeing 777 widebody airliner and will increase the airline’s capacity on this route by 600 or more seats, every day. The flight from Dubai will be coded EK778, and the flight back from Cape Town, EK779.

“Since our first flight in 1995, South Africa has been a cornerstone of our African network,” affirmed Emirates regional manager for Southern Africa Afzal Parambil. “We have been steadily and consistently scaling our operations, creating vital links that connect communities and commerce, with a reliable and trusted schedule, service and product. Adding the third daily flight to Cape Town is an extension of that promise, and an example of how we will continue to evolve with South African travellers, and the industry. We’d like to extend our thanks to the South African authorities for their partnership and support in securing this new frequency, which will attract even more long-haul tourists to Cape Town and significantly contribute to the region’s burgeoning economy.”

“The Western Cape government welcomes this positive move,” highlighted Western Cape Premier Alan Winde. “More direct flights to our province and Cape Town mean a further boost to our economy. Our province’s tourism sector is bristling with jobs, and by opening up our skies to more flights, we can grow our economy and create even more jobs. I want to thank Emirates for its continued vote of confidence in our region. I look forward to growing this partnership to new heights.”

The new enhanced codeshare agreement builds upon Emirates’ and SAA’s original codeshare agreement, signed 28 years ago. Under that agreement, SAA customers could access Emirates flights from South Africa to Dubai (from three South African airports), which would, from July 1 next year, number 56 each week, and flights to 68 other international destinations in the Emirates network. Under the enhanced agreement, Emirates passengers would be able to seamlessly access three domestic South African destinations and 13 destinations across Africa.

“The partnership Emirates inked with [SAA] was one of the first on our portfolio,” pointed out Emirates deputy president and chief commercial officer Adnan Kazim. “Since signing in 1997, our collaboration has created reliable connectivity for passengers to explore more of the globe with simplified, seamless travel. South Africa remains a cornerstone of our African network, and one of the most consistently busy routes we serve, and partnerships like this are essential for us to serve our customers travelling in and out of the market. We will continue to collaborate with [SAA] to unlock benefits for our mutual customers.”

“This enhanced codeshare agreement marks a significant milestone in our 28-year partnership with Emirates,” stated SAA Group CEO Professor John Lamola. “It reflects [SAA’s] commitment to delivering seamless connectivity for our customers and strengthening South Africa’s position as a key aviation hub. By expanding our collaboration, we are unlocking great travel and trade opportunities across Africa and globally, ensuring that our passengers benefit from world-class service and convenience.”