Emirates airline and Airlink, a regional South Africa-based air carrier, signed an interline agreement under which the largest airline and flag carrier of the United Arab Emirates would expand its reach to the region.
On October 21, 2020, Emirates airline stated that the agreement with Airlink would enhance the connectivity for its customers through its gateways in Johannesburg and Cape Town to more than 25 domestic destinations in South Africa as well as 20 regional destinations in the area of Southern Africa.
“Emirates is pleased to partner with Airlink on a new interline agreement that will help us strengthen our presence and give customers more choice, flexibility and enhanced connections across 45 cities in Southern Africa. We are committed to our operations in South Africa, as we continue to look at ways to build our extended network for customers, and help them benefit with diverse travel options,“ greeted the newly formed partnership Tim Clark, the President of Emirates airline.
Clark said that the recently signed agreement among the companies was only the first step of future cooperation as Emirates was “looking forward to exploring more opportunities to widen the scope of our partnership in the future.”
According to the statement, Emirates airline and Airlink would offer their customers single-ticket flights and one-stop baggage check-in for passengers who would catch connecting routes from Johannesburg International Airport (JNB) and Cape Town International Airport (CPT) to domestic destinations. Such destinations would include Bloemfontein (BFN), George (GRJ), Upington (UTN), Nelspruit (NLP), Hoedspruit (HDS), and Port Elizabeth International Airport (PLZ) as well as other destinations across Southern Africa.
After suspending all passenger flights for almost six months from March 2020 due to the health-safety measures related to the COVID-19 pandemic, Emirates resumed operations into Johannesburg (JNB) and Cape Town (CPT) on October 1, 2020. The UAE based airline attempts to increase connectivity in South Africa in order to build steady market demand.