South African Airways (SAA) has announced that it will launch a new international flight between South Africa and Mauritius in December.
This will be the very first time that the local air carrier has offered a direct service to the popular holiday destination.
Flights are scheduled to begin on 9 December 2025 and will operate on three times per week on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.
There will be two flight times, running between Cape Town International Airport and Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport.
Outbound flights will depart Cape Town International at 09h25 and arrive in Mauritius at 16h30 local time, spending approximately five hours in the air.
The returning aircraft will then leave the island at 17h20 and arrive back in the Mother City at 21h30.
Important to note is that the service will be temporarily adjusted between mid-January and mid-March 2026, where it will operate twice a week instead of three times per week.
SAA explained that the adjustment is meant to reduce seat capacity during this period when there is less seasonal demand.
The airline added that the introduction of the new route is part of a strategic expansion to capitalize on local demand for holiday travel, particularly for travelers in the Western Cape.
“Connecting Cape Town with Mauritius is a fascinating achievement that our team has been aspiring towards for quite some time,” it said.
“The introduction of this route demonstrates SAA’s role in promoting leisure travel across the region and supports the broader tourism objectives for both South Africa and Mauritius.”
The sky is the limit
SAA’s new service to Mauritius is one of several new local, regional, and international flights launching in South Africa in 2025 and 2026.
The country’s largest airline, FlySafair, recently announced that it would open a new route between Cape Town and Hoedspruit in Limpopo.
Flights will operate three times a week on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, with the first flight departing on 2 October 2025.
The company stated that the new route is meant to improve access to the central Kruger region, serving as an alternative to its Mbombela service.
Foreign airlines are also expanding their presence, as the Australian carrier Qantas previously confirmed it would re-open a direct flight path between Johannesburg and Perth.
Qantas explained that the route to Perth will greatly improve access to Australia as a whole, as passengers can make easy connections to Melbourne, Brisbane, and Adelaide.
Additionally, the airline will provide a new one-stop option from South Africa to New Zealand, as well as a direct flight between Perth and Auckland.
Another case is Air France, which will greatly expand its service between Cape Town and Paris to include daily flights this December in response to high demand over the holiday season.
Cathay Pacific, meanwhile, recently increased the number of flights between Johannesburg and Hong Kong, offering daily return flights.
Loading ...
