Etihad Airways and South African Airways (SAA) have obtained regulatory approval for the code-share agreement, both carriers are now offering interline services.
 
Under the first phase of the agreement, Etihad Airways passengers may now travel on Etihad Airways’ marketed flights from Johannesburg to four major destinations on the SAA network including, Cape Town, Durban, East London and Port Elizabeth. 

Code-sharing on scheduled services to other destinations, including Livingston, Lusaka, Ndola, Harare, and Victoria Falls is pending regulatory approval.  

While, passengers travelling from Africa may now access SAA marketed flights on Etihad Airways scheduled service from Johannesburg to its hub in Abu Dhabi, and onwards to Bahrain, Kuwait, Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur. 

Other major destinations pending regulatory approval include Shanghai, Singapore and Jeddah. 

Phase two of the agreement signed in May 2013 covers Frequent flyer program participation,  ground handling, procurement and training. 
 
Kevin Knight, Etihad Airways’ chief strategy and planning officer, said: “Increasing our reach into Southern Africa is critical in meeting the demand from growing numbers of leisure and business passengers travelling between Africa and the major emerging markets in the Middle East, Asia, the Indian subcontinent and Australia.
 
“The partnership agreement with South African Airways reflects our strategy of forming alliances with airlines around the world to enhance the global reach of our network,” he said. 
 
Manoj Papa, SAA’s acting general manager, commercial, added: “We are confident that the new codeshare partnership will prove extremely popular with business and leisure travellers who can now take advantage of the greater choice and seamless connectivity across our combined networks and markets.”
 
Etihad Airways launched its service between the UAE and South Africa in 2005, and currently operates scheduled services to eight destinations in Africa and the Indian Ocean including: Johannesburg, Khartoum, Casablanca, Cairo, Nairobi, Lagos, Tripoli and Mahé in the Seychelles