Emirates, the world’s largest international airline, is bringing even more choice, connectivity and premium travel options to Johannesburg, by adding a fourth daily flight on the in-demand route. This follows the recent announcement of the second daily A380 between Dubai and Johannesburg, which launched on 1 September, reaffirming the importance of South Africa on the airline’s extensive global network.
The fourth daily service will begin on 1 March, 2025, and will be operated on a three-class Boeing 777-300ER, offering an additional 708 seats in and out of South Africa’s largest and busiest international airport every day, broadening options for leisure and business travellers alike. EK767 will depart Dubai at 00:10hrs, arriving in Johannesburg at 06:20hrs; the return flight, EK768, will depart Johannesburg at 10:15hrs arriving in Dubai at 20:15hrs, expanding the airline’s schedule to introduce a morning departure from Johannesburg.
Adnan Kazim, Emirates Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer said, “South Africa has long been a highly popular destination for both leisure and business travellers connecting to and through Dubai, and the fourth daily flight enables us to better serve the growing demand for travel to and from the market. We’d like to extend our thanks to the South African authorities for their partnership and support in securing this new service, which reinstates the capacity we offered South Africa pre-pandemic, with 49 weekly flights, across three gateways. As we reflect on nearly three decades of operations to the market, we remain committed to driving inbound travel to South Africa, supporting the government as they aim make tourism the leading economic contributor and vehicle for transformation, as well as encouraging more inwards investment to the country.”
The fourth daily flight further supports connectivity across Emirates’ global network of over 140 destinations, optimising schedules to key destinations including Dubai, Thailand and India as well as European hotspots such as UK, France, the Netherlands and Germany.
Customers taking advantage of the expanded Emirates schedule to Johannesburg can reach a further 60 regional points in Africa via codeshare and interline agreements with four key partners. Emirates and South African Airways first established a codeshare arrangement back in 1997, and it remains one of the oldest partnerships in the airline’s history, enabling frictionless, single-ticket travel to and from all three South African gateways, including 12 destinations via Johannesburg. Unlocking greater connectivity, Emirates’ codeshare with Airlink opens up a further 44 regional cities, while its interline agreement with Cemair provides access to exclusive leisure points such as Margate and Plettenberg Bay. Similarly, the agreement with FlySafair enables travel to domestic points such as Port Elizabeth, East London and George. These partnerships provide greater connectivity for passengers across Africa to access Emirates’ world-class product and service, while also enabling international travellers to seamlessly explore more of Africa.
In addition to enhancing passenger travel, the new flight increases cargo capacity in and out of South Africa, offering 300 tonnes via the belly of the Boeing 777, weekly. Emirates SkyCargo, the airline’s freight division, uplifts key commodities, including fresh fruit and vegetables, chilled meat, dairy, seafood and fresh cut flowers, further stimulating the economy and connecting South African businesses with their global customers, quickly, reliably and efficiently. The new flight provides additional opportunities to move goods to key destinations, such as London, Madrid, Kuwait, Hong Kong and, of course, Dubai, via the airline’s multi-vertical specialized product portfolio.
In the last 29 years, Emirates has established itself as a long-term partner of South African aviation, tourism and trade, since the inaugural flight to Johannesburg in June 1995. Since then, the airline has scaled operations, increased frequencies and gateways to Cape Town and Durban and served over 20 million passengers to and from the market. In October 2011, Emirates first deployed its flagship A380 to Johannesburg, bringing the airline’s world-class products and services to South Africa, and now offers two daily flights from Johannesburg on the iconic double-decker aircraft.
On-ground, Emirates delivers a premium and comfortable experience with two exclusive lounges, in Johannesburg and Cape Town, for customers travelling in First Class and Business Class, as well as Skywards members in select membership tiers. The airline also offers Chauffeur Drive Service for all three gateways, guaranteeing both a luxurious and comfortable transport experience for premium travellers.
