South African Airways has commenced codeshare services with Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, following regulatory approval, which enables both carriers to offer codeshare and interline services to destinations on their respective route networks.
Effective immediately, and under the first phase of the codeshare agreement, SAA customers can now access SAA marketed flights on Etihad scheduled service from Johannesburg to its hub in Abu Dhabi, and onwards across the airline’s network to Bahrain, Kuwait, Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur. Other destinations currently pending local regulatory approval include Shanghai, Singapore and Jeddah.
In return, Etihad passengers can now travel on Etihad Airways’ marketed flights from Johannesburg to four destinations on the SAA network, including Cape Town, Durban, East London and Port Elizabeth. Codesharing on scheduled services to other destinations, including Livingstone, Lusaka, Ndola, Harare and Victoria Falls is currently pending, subject to government approval.