South Africa is getting two new international flight options before the end of the year.
German air carrier Lufthansa is opening a new route from Johannesburg to Munich in September, giving local travellers a new route to the heart of Europe.
Singapore Airlines, meanwhile, is increasing the number of flights between South Africa and Singapore during peak demand season in December.
Lufthansa
Lufthansa, which is the second-largest air carrier in the world, is launching a new route from O.R Tambo International Airport in Gauteng to Munich International Airport in Germany on Tuesday, 3 September.
Flights are scheduled to take place three times per week and will run all year round.
The airline will use an Airbus A350-900, with seating accommodations for business, premium economy, and economy class.
Once the new path goes live, Gauteng will have two direct flights to Germany, as Lufthansa already provides a route from O.R Tambo to Frankfurt.
Furthermore, Cape Town residents will have access to a direct flight from Cape Town International to Munich, but this route will only open in November.
Lufthansa recently confirmed that the reason for the Cape Town flight’s limited availability concerns seasonal demand. It will only offer the service during the Southern Hemisphere’s summer months when it is worth the cost to operate.
The airline is planning to increase its Cape Town to Munich connection to a daily occurrence starting next summer, it said.
The company also previously announced that it is planning to introduce its Allegris First Class and Business Class cabins to its flights between Cape Town and Munich, marking the first time that the luxurious option has been offered to an African nation.
Singapore Airlines
Singapore Airlines is launching additional flights three times per week between the island city-state and O.R. Tambo International, according to Travel News.
The Southeast Asian airline already operates a daily service between the two destinations, and these new flights will bring the total number of weekly trips up to 10 for select periods.
The extra routes, operated by an Airbus A350-900, will fly from 11 December 2024 to 10 January 2025, and again from 2 April 2025 to 24 October 2025.
Over the holidays, the aircraft (designated SQ 482) will leave Singapore on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays at 16h35 to arrive in Joburg at 21h15.
Return flights from O.R Tambo (SQ 481) will then leave on the same three days at 22h30 to land in Asia at 14h55 the following afternoon.
Later in 2025, the air carrier will fly from Singapore on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at 13h55, arriving in Gauteng by 18h35.
The aircraft are scheduled to leave Joburg on the same day at 19h50 and touch down on the island at 12h15 the next day.
Expanding travel options
Lufthansa and Singapore Airlines’ expansion in South Africa is just one of several new flights planned for our market.
Marking its slow but steady recovery from business rescue, South African Airways (SAA) has reinstated its codeshare agreement with its Brazilian counterpart, Gol Linhas Aéreas Inteligentes.
The agreement was suspended during the Covid-19 pandemic, and its renewal means that SAA will eventually be able to add its designated code to more than 60 Latin American and African destinations.
Additionally, SAA is increasing the number of trips between O.R Tambo and the holiday destination of Mauritius based on popular demand.
The local carrier Airlink is also ramping up its operation, as it is launching a new path to Botswana in early 2025.
The flight will travel from Cape Town to Gabarone, with planes taking off on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.
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