South African Airways (SAA) have announced the airline’s first intercontinental route to Sao Paulo, Brazil, since the airline returned to the skies in September 2021.
Bookings open for sale today, 29th June 2023, with launch flights out of Cape Town on Tuesday, 31st October and from Johannesburg on Monday, 6th November 2023.
SAA will fly to Guarulhos International Airport in São Paulo four times a week, twice out of Cape Town (Tuesdays and Saturdays) and twice out of Johannesburg (Mondays and Thursdays).
During the Northern winter season (October to December), SA 0226 will depart Cape Town at 12h55 and arrive in Sao Paulo at 16h35. The return flight out of Sao Paulo SA 0227, will depart at 18h05 and arrive in Cape Town at 06h40.
From Johannesburg, SA 0222 will depart at 11h20 and arrive in Sao Paulo at 16h15 and the return flight SA 0223 will depart Soa Paulo at 17h45 arriving in Johannesburg at 07h45.
SAA’s Chief Commercial Officer, Mr Tebogo Tsimane, said “We have created an effective schedule which is ideal for both business and leisure travellers and our schedule is fantastic for connecting traffic.” Our Voyager members can also earn miles at an accelerated rate when flying on an SAA-operated flight, 1 SAA Voyager mile for every R1.60 spend and the accumulation of miles, counts towards Elite status, Tsimane added.
São Paulo – Brazil’s most populous city – is also the country’s financial center and one of the biggest financial hubs in the world. It is an ideal destination for business or leisure, offering a vast selection of first-rated museums, cultural centers, theatres, and cinemas. It also boasts world-class nightclubs, bars, and restaurants. The various transport networks, including taxis, buses, subways, and railway lines are well-served in both countries.
Interim CEO, Professor John Lamola, says, “We are overjoyed to announce São Paulo as our first international destination since the airline successfully emerged from an intensive Business Rescue process and Covid-19 lockdown. It also marks our return of our long-haul service out of Cape Town.” The Teams at SAA are working hard behind the scenes to gear our operations for this much anticipated route launch to South America,” said Lamola.
“Our decision to begin the relaunch of our long-haul service with São Paulo was taken based on a rigorous analysis of the viability of the route. Sustainability has been at the heart of SAA’s approach since our restart.”
As the national flag carrier, SAA prides itself on bringing South African hospitality to international routes, and travelers to and from São Paulo route can expect to experience our award-winning customer service,” added Lamola.
SAA has appointed Air Promotion Group (APG) in Brazil as its General Sales Agent (GSA).
