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Emirates has added a new FlySafair partner to strengthen options in South Africa. The two airlines announced the interline agreement on November 15, as South Africa prepares to lift restrictions on international travelers.
The new interline agreement
Emirates and FlySafair will be interconnected, giving Emirates customers more access to flights in South Africa. The agreement will allow Emirates customers to purchase a single itinerary with both airlines, which is also done through luggage tagging.
The agreement covers routes from Emirates’ three South African destinations (Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban) to national FlySafair points in South Africa, such as Port Elizabeth, East London and George.
Emirates Senior Vice President of Business Operations for Africa Badr Abbas stated the following in a press release seen by Simple Flying:
“We are pleased to begin our interline partnership with FlySafair. Their network complements our presence in South Africa by providing a variety of connections for our clients, making this a natural partnership. Together, we will open up new travel opportunities and more options for clients who wish to travel within the country. We look forward to working together and strengthening our relationship in the future. “
Meanwhile, Kirby Gordon, FlySafair’s chief marketing officer, stated the following:
“We are in a very fortunate position where we were able to restart operations in June of this year. Starting in November, we will be operating at full capacity again, allowing us to operate just over 75% of the available domestic seating capacity in South Africa. International traffic remains very limited given the various restrictions in place, but we are pleased to report that there has been a slow and steady increase in the volumes of flights that we are selling through our connecting agreements like that with Emirates. ”
Emirates South African Network
Emirates currently has 17 weekly flights to South Africa. This includes operations to Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban. All these routes only resumed operations in October.
Currently Emirates is flying Boeing 777 aircraft on these routes to South Africa. The 777 is a ubiquitous aircraft on Emirates flights to South Africa.
Flysafair
FlySafair is a low cost airline in South Africa. The airline is a fully Boeing airline and flies both 737-400 and 737-800. The airline hopes to increase its fleet from 737-800s. All of their jets are in a fully economy configuration, which is a bit jarring if you’re coming from an Emirates flight in, say, business or first class.
Emirates has many South African partnerships
Emirates and South African Airways (SAA) also have a partnership, which extends even beyond the new one with FlySafair. This includes a codeshare agreement and frequent flyer benefits with the country’s flag carrier.
Less than a month ago, Emirates announced a new interline agreement with Airlink, another regional airline in South Africa. Airlink has a bit more connectivity in South Africa and beyond compared to FlySafair.
With the future of South African Airways still in doubt and the need for more travelers, the interline deal with FlySafair is a relatively inexpensive way for the airline to attract a few more travelers to and from South Africa. It also gives the airline more options for its customers in terms of schedules and alignment.
Partnerships don’t hurt, which is what Emirates is looking for here. The airline has many large planes, which were easy to fill in the past, but not so much today.
Are you happy that Emirates adds a new partner on FlySafair? Will you take advantage of this interline agreement? Let us know in the comments!
