South African Airways (SAA) has expanded its international network with the launch of a new flight service between South Africa and Botswana.
The new service commenced this week on 4 November 2025, and takes passengers twice-daily between O.R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg and Sir Seretse Khama International Airport in Gabarone.
Flights begin with the morning rotation, which departs O.R. Tambo at 06h35 and arrives in Gabarone at 07h35.
The same aircraft will leave at 08h25 and land in South Africa at 09h25.
An afternoon flight will then take off from Joburg at 16h40 and arrive in Botswana at 17h40.
This service departs Gabarone at 18h30 and lands back at O.R. Tambo at 19h30.
“This route is more than a flight, it’s a strategic link in SAA’s broader commitment to enhancing intra-African connectivity,” said SAA Group CEO, Professor John Lamola, speaking at the launch event in Gaborone.
“It reflects our vision to support trade, tourism, and regional integration across the continent.”
The new service is another step in SAA’s ongoing financial recovery, following its troubled history throughout the 2010s that culminated in it going into voluntary business rescue in 2019.
The national air carrier restarted operations in September 2021, and is currently in the process of rebuilding its former service network.
The company stated that the newly launched service between Johannesburg and Gaborone not only strengthens direct connectivity between South Africa and Botswana but also enhances the integration of SAA’s broader African and intercontinental route network.
“For example, the addition of the Gaborone service creates a seamless travel corridor between Windhoek and Gaborone, with Johannesburg acting as a strategic transit point,” it said.
“SAA already operates direct flights between Johannesburg and Windhoek, and with the new Gaborone route, passengers and cargo operators can now move efficiently between these two capital cities with a single stop.”
Other international destinations added to the recovering airline’s roster include Lusaka in Zambia, Harare in Zimbabwe, Kinshasa in the DRC, Sao Paulo in Brazil, and Perth in Australia.
More flights for South Africa
The new SAA service from Joburg to Gabarone is one of several new flight options South Africa has received this year.
Air France has expanded its seasonal route between Cape Town and Paris until May 2026 due to popular demand, and the Australian-based carrier Qantas is opening a new service from Joburg to Perth this December.
Qantas stated that the Perth route will make it easier for South Africans to travel to other Australian cities on its network, such as Melbourne, Brisbane, and Adelaide.
SAA is also launching a twice-daily service to Mauritius to capitalize on the holiday season, and domestic air carrier FlySafair recently opened new route between Cape Town and Hoedspruit in Limpopo.
Additionally, FlySafair is increasing the number of flights to and from Lanseria as an alternative to O.R, Tambo, and it is adding two new flight options to East London and Gqeberha.
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