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Emirates Adds Fourth Daily Flight to Johannesburg
Emirates, the world’s largest international airline, is set to enhance its connectivity and travel options to Johannesburg by introducing a fourth daily flight on this popular route. This new service, commencing on 1 March 2025, will be operated by a three-class Boeing 777-300ER, adding 708 seats daily to and from South Africa’s busiest international airport. Enhanced Travel Options and Connectivity Adding the fourth daily flight underscores Emirates’ commitment to providing more choices and seamless connections for leisure and business travellers. This move follows the recent launch of a second daily A380 service between Dubai and Johannesburg on 1 September, highlighting South Africa’s strategic importance within the Emirates’ extensive global network. Flight Schedule: EK767: Departs Dubai at 00:10hrs, arrives in Johannesburg at 06:20hrs EK768: Departs Johannesburg at 10:15hrs, arrives in Dubai at 20:15hrs This new schedule introduces a morning departure from Johannesburg, offering greater flexibility for travellers. Supporting Growing Travel Demand Adnan Kazim, Emirates Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer, emphasised this expansion’s significance: “South Africa has long been a highly popular destination for both leisure and business travellers connecting to and through Dubai. The fourth daily flight enables us to serve better the growing demand for travel to and from the market. We want to thank the South African authorities for their partnership and support in securing this new service.” Strengthening Regional and Global Connectivity The new flight will enhance connectivity across Emirates’ global network of over 140 destinations, optimising schedules for destinations such as Dubai, Thailand, India, and major European cities, including the UK, France, the Netherlands, and Germany. Additionally, passengers can reach 60 regional points in Africa through codeshare and interline agreements with key partners like South African Airways, Airlink, Cemair, and FlySafair. Boosting Cargo Capacity The fourth daily flight also increases cargo capacity, offering 300 tonnes of cargo space weekly. Emirates SkyCargo will transport key commodities such as fresh produce, chilled meat, dairy, seafood, and flowers, efficiently connecting South African businesses with global markets. A Long-Term Partner in South Africa Since its inaugural flight to Johannesburg in June 1995, Emirates has been a steadfast partner in South African aviation, tourism, and trade. The airline has served over 20 million passengers to and from the market, continually scaling operations and increasing frequencies. Emirates’ flagship A380 aircraft now operates two daily flights from Johannesburg, providing world-class products and services to South African travellers. Premium On-Ground Experience Emirates offers a premium travel experience with exclusive lounges in Johannesburg and Cape Town for First Class and Business Class passengers and select Skywards members. The airline’s Chauffeur-Driven Service ensures luxurious and comfortable transport for premium travellers across all three South African gateways. With this new addition, Emirates continues demonstrating its commitment to enhancing travel options and supporting economic growth in South Africa, reaffirming its role as a critical player in the global aviation industry.
Emirates adds fourth daily flight to Johannesburg, South Africa
Emirates Boeing 777-300ER photographed on August 17, 2015 from Wolfe Air Aviation's Lear 25B. 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.
Emirates expands flight schedules across Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban
Emirates Boeing 777-300ER photographed on August 17, 2015 from Wolfe Air Aviation's Lear 25B. Emirates will be bringing new travel opportunities, choice and convenience for customers traveling to and from South Africa with additional services to Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban. The ramp up of flights are part of the airline’s ongoing commitment to support South Africa’s economic and tourism recovery through enhanced connectivity across all of its gateways. The airline’s latest move also reaffirms South Africa’s strategic importance on its network, as it prioritises service expansion and rebuilding its capacity to unlock further growth potential. The airline will be expanding its schedule to and from Johannesburg with three daily flights from 1 March 2023. Cape Town will be served with double daily services starting from 1 February 2023. Emirates will also be adding two more flights to Durban, making it a daily operation from 1 December 2022. The reintroduction of the new flights between Dubai and the airline’s three gateways in South Africa will enhance Emirates’ schedule to 42 weekly services. Emirates’ flight EK 767 from Dubai to Johannesburg will operate with a Boeing 777 aircraft, complementing its double daily A380 operation. The flight will depart at 2325hrs, arriving at 0535hrs the next day to Johannesburg. The return flight will depart Johannesburg at 2220hrs and arrives in Dubai at 0820hrs the next morning. The third daily flight from Johannesburg will help meet high demand with more than 300 available seats each way, and will offer additional flexibility for South African travellers with a new evening departure* for easier connectivity to Europe, the Americas, West Asia and Far East via Dubai. Emirates’ second daily service to Cape Town will depart Dubai at 0910hrs, landing at 1645hrs. It will then depart Cape Town at 1325hrs, arriving in Dubai at 0110hrs the next day. With the double daily service to Cape Town, the airline will have restored its pre-pandemic schedule, supporting the city’s tourism industry right during peak season arrivals by providing convenient connectivity from key source markets such as Europe, the Middle East, West Asia and Australasia. As part of its longstanding commitment to support tourism recovery efforts in South Africa, Emirates and the South African Tourism Board signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) earlier this year to jointly promote tourism and boost visitor arrivals to South Africa across the airline’s network of over 130 passenger destinations. The additional services to all three gateways will also benefit customers with more connecting choices to an array of domestic and regional cities across Southern Africa via Emirates’ codeshare and interline partners including South African Airways, Airlink, FlySafair and Cemair. The unique connections and onward travel options are not offered by any other airline. Customers flying between Dubai and South Africa can look forward to an elevated experience across every cabin class, with thoughtfully designed menus and locally sourced beverages, signature amenities and exceptional hospitality delivered by the airline’s diverse, multinational crew. The airline continues to raise the bar on the premium experience for its South African customers with a local selection of South African wines including Ken Forrester, Porseleinberg, Klein Constantia, Waterkloof, Boekenhoutskloof, amongst others. In addition to this, customers can look forward to dining on authentic, proudly South African dishes and flavours with an array of local cheeses and Rooibos-inspired cuisine. In addition to providing much needed seat capacity in and out of South Africa, Emirates’ new flights to Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban will collectively provide more cargo belly-hold capacity to further scale up import and export opportunities for local businesses, helping carry vital exports including seafood, fruits and vegetables, fresh and frozen meats, wine, pharmaceuticals, and gold – between the UAE, South Africa and beyond.
Qantas Resumes Flights To Johannesburg After A Lengthy Absence
Qantas will resume its operation in South Africa, with the flight landing to Johannesburg for the first time since early 2020 and the first “rescue flights” to bring Australians back home. On Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday, a Boeing 787 takes over from the now-retired Boeing 747 in the airline’s new Sydney-Johannesburg service. The Dreamliner’s improved seats in business, premium economy, and economy, and a quieter and smoother flight that also decreases the impact of jet lag through features like a lower cabin altitude and higher humidity will make the 14-hour journey a significantly more enjoyable experience. Qantas CEO Alan Joyce hinted at the possibility of direct flights between Perth and Johannesburg, a route that was previously only served by South African Airways. South African Airways has only recently emerged from bankruptcy in September 2021 after being grounded for more than 18 months and could still merge with the struggling Kenya Airways to create what Kenya’s president described in his New Year’s address to the nation as a new “Pan-African airline with unmatched continental reach and global coverage. Most of the South African market favour Qantas as it offers direct flight between Johannesburg and Sydney, and convenient connections to other parts of Australia and New Zealand. It has long been a goal of Qantas’ to compete with SAA on the Perth-Johannesburg route, and the airline plans to begin seasonal service with an Airbus A330 in November and March of this year with four weekly direct flights. Due to an ongoing dispute with Perth Airport, Qantas announced in June 2018 that it had scrapped those plans. In particular, Qantas wanted to run its Perth flights from the international wing of its integrated Terminal 3-Terminal 4 hub, rather than the dedicated T1 international terminal used by other airlines. “There is no need for Qantas’ international passengers flying into Perth to be dragged between the domestic and international terminals as a result of this change,” Joyce said. In early 2021, Joyce told Reuters, “We’re really interested in South Africa (and) we think it’s a good growth opportunity for us”. “The Perth-Johannesburg service, which is on his company’s list of potential additional routes, will begin if a settlement with Perth Airport can be reached”, he added. Joyce went on to say that Qantas would continue to add additional pins to its international network map until 2022, but with a greater emphasis on leisure travel and the ‘visiting friends and relatives market, which is experiencing a post-pandemic surge after nearly two years of lockdown. “Right now, what we’re doing is identifying routes where we know there’s a large VFR travel base,” Joyce added. “India is a significant market for that, which is why we moved in… and we were right, there was a lot of demand.” “And with Rome and the large Italian community in Melbourne and Sydney, we believed the peak summer season would support the foundation of that service, and then we could tap into tourism on top of that.” “We have three new 787s arriving in July, which allows us to expand our international network,” Joyce said, adding that the Dreamliners “have great potential to fly routes that we hadn’t contemplated previously.” “So, keep an eye on this place,” Joyce teased, “because we have several additional overseas lines to announce in the coming months.”
Accor achieved record performance in 2024, setting the stage for further expansion in 2025
Accor shares an overview of its 2024 development activity and growth prospects for 2025 and beyond. Accor expanded its portfolio with the opening of 293 hotels and resorts in 2024, adding an impressive 50,000 rooms. As a result, Accor’s global network now comprises over 5,680 hotels and 850,000 rooms in operation, with an additional 1,381 properties and 233,000 rooms in the pipeline. In the last five years, the Group’s pipeline has continued to increase in value at a significantly quicker pace than in volume, further enriching the quality of its global hotel portfolio. The company’s development performance was particularly robust across MEA APAC in 2024. The Middle East and Asian markets continue to grow at pace and, in 2025, over 60% of Accor’s planned openings are focused within this part of the world. Market Leadership and Brand Strength with Premium, Midscale & Economy Accor continues to strengthen its Premium, Midscale & Economy (PM&E) Division with a targeted approach to growth, focused on iconic brands such as Pullman, Novotel and ibis and expansion opportunities in sought-after destinations. With Mercure reaching the 1,000 milepost in 2024, upcoming 2025 breakthroughs include ibis opening in its 80th country and ibis Styles surpassing the 700-hotel mark. In 2024, openings across these segments included additions such as Pullman Budapest Hotel, Swissôtel Poiana Brasov, Novotel Istanbul Bomonti, and ibis Jakarta Raden Saleh. This sustained growth highlights Accor's strategic positioning in the premium, midscale and economy categories and its ability to capitalize on travel trends for ongoing success. For example, Accor’s TRIBE brand caters to the demand for design-led, experience-driven hospitality at an accessible price. The rapidly expanding brand launched new locations such as Budapest and Bangkok in 2024, offering social and flexible spaces tailored for the modern traveler. With a total of 20 hotels open and another 40 in the pipeline, TRIBE is uniquely poised to capture opportunities from this rising traveler trend. Handwritten Collection is another Accor brand that has quickly gained traction and has an ambitious global growth trajectory. Launched in 2023, the brand is a collection of carefully curated hotels that celebrate the warmth and character of their dedicated hosts. With over 25 hotels already in operation worldwide, including leading cities such as Paris, Krakow, San Francisco, Sydney, and Singapore, the brand will see its European footprint grow substantially with more than 10 hotels expected to come online over the coming months. With Accor’s premium hotel signings growing by an impressive +150% since 2019, the segment continues to show strength, with the Group’s premium footprint now representing more than 500 hotels globally. This achievement demonstrates the momentum of brands such as Pullman, Swissôtel, Mövenpick, and Grand Mercure, each redefining their hospitality offering with distinct character, deep cultural roots, and elevated guest experiences. Camil Yazbeck, Chief Development Officer, Premium, Midscale & Economy, commented: "Accor’s premium, midscale and economy brands experienced exceptional momentum in 2024, with strong demand fueling expansion across key markets. Iconic brands like Pullman, Novotel and ibis are a driving force in our Group’s overall growth and are foundational to our PM&E division. Considering current industry fundamentals, hotel conversion is also a major focus of our strategy with many of our most conversion-friendly brands like Handwritten Collection, Mercure and TRIBE leading the way. With a strong pipeline, a diversified brand portfolio, and an owner-centric approach, Accor is best positioned to drive the next wave of hospitality growth in 2025 and beyond.” Strategic Acceleration in Luxury & Lifestyle Accor’s luxury portfolio - which has grown in both volume and value and counts landmark hotels such as Raffles London at The OWO; The Plaza, A Fairmont Managed Hotel in New York; Sofitel Roma Villa Borghese in Italy; and Hôtel des Arts Saigon - MGallery Collection in Vietnam among its unrivalled portfolio - continues to expand in key markets and highly coveted destinations. Some notable luxury openings for the Group over the last 12 months have included Raffles Sentosa Singapore; Raffles Jaipur in India; Fairmont La Hacienda Costa del Sol in Spain; Fairmont Breakers Long Beach in California; Sofitel Cairo Downtown Nile in Egypt; and Chengdu Expo Waterfall Hotel - MGallery Collection in China. On the lifestyle front, Ennismore represents the Group’s presence in this rapidly growing category. Ennismore’s Delano Dubai, Rixos Tersane Istanbul, Hyde Johannesburg and 25hours Hotel The Oddbird in Jakarta have recently opened as key flagships for the Group. On average, Accor’s Luxury & Lifestyle (L&L) division opened one hotel project per week and approximately six projects were signed per month. The Group has a robust pipeline of over 280 L&L properties in development and the focus remains on high-value brands and strategic partnerships with hotel owners. 2024 saw continued signings momentum across Accor’s L&L brands, with Sofitel in particular boasting 12 new signings in the year such as Sofitel Legend The Mozart in Prague, Czech Republic. Other notable successes include the signing of Raffles Tokyo, Japan: popular urban destinations such as Tokyo continue to be in high demand, while resort and nature destinations are thriving due to a strong desire among travelers for connection with local culture and outdoor experiences. Mexico and the Caribbean are also key markets for the Group’s development of resort and all-inclusive offerings. In late 2024, Ennismore signed and opened SLS Playa Mujeres, the brand’s first all-inclusive resort set on Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula. Ennismore also signed The Hoxton Oslo and Melbourne, 25hours Heart of Khobar, Mama Lake Como and Rixos Phu Quoc to name just a few. Last year, Accor also secured record activity through Accor One Living, an industry-first platform focused on the development, design, and operation of mixed-use projects and branded homeowner communities. The Group, which is #2 hospitality player in branded residences worldwide, now services and supports 7,000+ homeowners at close to 50 branded residence communities operating across 25+ distinct brand offerings. The Group also witnessed a high pace of conversion across its L&L division, driven by collection icons MGallery and Emblems, with 55+ hotels sitting collectively across their development pipelines. MGallery’s expansion includes the recent opening of Marival Armony Punta Mita – MGallery Collection in Mexico earlier this year and an upcoming debut in the Caribbean with The Whimsy Hotel – MGallery Collection in Saint Martin. Meanwhile, Emblems Collection recently signed Elatos Resort, a luxurious chalet set in the heart of Greece's alpine wilderness, which is set to reopen in the second half of 2026. Finally, one of the travel industry’s most anticipated 2025 events is the relaunch of the legendary Orient Express, a centenary brand with deep cultural significance. This presents a significant milestone, with the first trains set to embark in April 2025. The launch will coincide with the debut of Orient Express La Minerva in Rome which will also open and play a key part in the iconic brand’s revival. And earlier this month, the Group signed other coveted locations in Italy: Raffles - Raffles Lake Como - marking the brand’s fifth hotel in Europe – and Hotel Bellevue Cortina d’Ampezzo, Emblems Collection. Agnès Roquefort, Chief Development Officer, Luxury & Lifestyle commented: “Accor’s luxury and lifestyle portfolio remains unmatched, and 2024 marked a year of remarkable progress. With strong momentum in high-potential markets, we have expanded the footprint of our highly sought after brands, accelerated conversions, and introduced new, elevated experiences. Our strategy continues to be driven by a vision of creating meaningful and transformative guest experiences while maximizing value for our owners and partners. As we build on this success, we remain committed to shaping the future of luxury and lifestyle hospitality in 2025 and beyond.” Strategically Positioned to Leverage Market Opportunities in 2025 and Beyond The Group is focused on driving innovation and expanding its footprint in 2025, with a lineup of key openings and a robust development pipeline that includes a strong presence in key growth markets such as Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. Accor’s strategy centers on tapping into these regions with a targeted focus, including luxury resorts and lifestyle hotels that cater to evolving consumer demands, such as sustainable travel and multi-purpose spaces. The momentum in 2024 and excitement around 2025 underscores the Group’s determination to redefine and invigorate the hospitality experience.
Virgin Atlantic and China Eastern launch codeshare agreement
Virgin Atlantic and China Eastern announce a new codeshare agreement , which increases business and leisure connections to East Asia and greater access to destinations in mainland China. The first stage of the agreement will provide customers booking through Virgin Atlantic to connect from London Heathrow to Shanghai (Pudong – PVG) , and from there to other destinations in China on a single ticket, including Chengdu, Changsha, Qingdao, Shenzhen and Xi' an. China and East Asia is an incredibly important region for Virgin Atlantic and we were delighted to welcome back our Heathrow service to Shanghai last year, providing vital links to one of the UK's largest trading partners for both passenger and cargo services, said Juha Jarvinen , Virgin Atlantic's Chief Commercial Office China Eastern customers will also soon have the opportunity to connect via Heathrow to the Caribbean and Africa, including Jamaica, Nassau, Lagos, Cape Town and Johannesburg, China Eastern is a member of Skyteam, an alliance Virgin Atlantic joined last year. Since November, both airlines have been located at Pudong International Airport Terminal 1. Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Gold and Silver customers and China Eastern Thousands customers can enjoy SkyPriority services, which includes priority check-in, boarding, additional baggage. The expanded codeshare agreement also offers Flying Club customers to earn thousands on every flight operated by China Eastern. This option is expected to be available soon. Virgin Atlantic resumed operations to Shanghai on 1 May, 2023, following the global pandemic, China continues to be one of the UK's most important trading partners, and as the country's largest city, Shanghai is one of the world's leading global financial centers.
Etihad set to double the number of African cities served in 2025
Etihad Airways is set to double its routes to the African continent over the next year, further committing to serving its guests. The airline has announced three new African routes in the past two months, adding more destinations and frequencies to its services. Currently, Etihad serves four African destinations: Johannesburg, South Africa; Cairo, Egypt; Mahe, Seychelles; and Casablanca, Morocco. On 15 December, the airline will resume flights to Nairobi, Kenya, and next year will launch new routes to Tunis, Tunisia; Algiers, Algeria; and Al Alamein, Egypt. Arik De, Etihad’s Chief Revenue and Commercial Officer, said: “As we prepare to return to Nairobi, Kenya next month, we are committed to growing our network in Africa and doubling our destinations over the next year. We are expanding our frequencies, including boosting both Johannesburg and Casablanca to daily services from next summer. This expansion will connect our guests across the continent with our growing network and bring them to our fantastic home in Abu Dhabi. "Currently, we serve four cities with 39 frequencies a week. By next summer, this will increase to 50 frequencies a week to six cities, and by this time next year, we will reach 57 frequencies a week to eight cities. "And we are not stopping there. We recently announced ten new global destinations, including Tunis and Algiers, and plan to announce at least ten more each year as we grow towards 2030. These will include new cities in Africa, and our goal is to make all of these flights daily. We are growing sustainably and offering our customers across Africa the flights and frequencies that make sense to them and fit with our global network.” Etihad also enhances connectivity through its codeshare and interline partnerships with several African airlines, including Airlink South Africa, Air Seychelles, Royal Air Maroc, and EgyptAir. These partnerships allow Etihad to offer more convenient travel options and seamless connections for guests travelling to and from Africa. As Etihad continues to expand its global network through its world-leading hub at Zayed International Airport, an increasing number of guests from African cities are taking advantage of the airline’s free stopover offer. In collaboration with the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, travellers booking flights with Etihad can easily add a stopover and enjoy a complimentary hotel stay for one or two nights at a selection of premier hotels across the city.
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