On July 1 next year, Emirates will launch a third daily flight between Dubai and Cape Town.
Operated by a Boeing 777, the new service will boost seat capacity on the route by over 600 seats every day.
EK778 will depart Dubai at 10h25 and arrive in Cape Town at 18h05. The return flight, EK779, will depart Cape Town at 20h00 and arrive in Dubai at 07h25, the following morning.
The evening departure adds an overnight travel option and is strategically timed for optimal connectivity with key long-haul destinations in Emirates’ network, such as Thailand, Indonesia, France, Switzerland, the Philippines and China.
EK and SAA enhance codeshare
The announcement for the additional flight coincides with the airline’s enhancement of its reciprocal codeshare agreement with SAA.
The agreement was signed at the 2025 Dubai Airshow, by Adnan Kazim, Emirates Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer, and John Lamola, Group CEO of SAA.
Under the new agreement, passengers from both airlines will be able to book flights across the airlines’ networks with a single ticket fare and seamless baggage handling.
Emirates’ customers will be able to enjoy seamless access from Johannesburg to Cape Town, Durban and Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) in SAA’s domestic network and thirteen regional destinations – Abidjan, Accra, Botswana, Dar es Salaam, Kinshasa, Windhoek, Lagos, Lusaka, Lubumbashi, Harare, Victoria Falls, Windhoek and Mauritius.
The codeshare will enable Emirates to tap into feeder traffic from South Africa and regionally, alongside long-haul connecting passengers from the UK and US.
“This enhanced codeshare agreement marks a significant milestone in our 28-year partnership with Emirates. It reflects SAA’s commitment to delivering seamless connectivity for our customers and strengthening South Africa’s position as a key aviation hub. By expanding our collaboration, we are unlocking greater travel and trade opportunities across Africa and globally, ensuring that our passengers benefit from world-class service and convenience,” said Lamola.
