Summary

• Emirates' first class has been in high demand in South Africa after the pandemic.
• The airline plans to introduce premium economy in South Africa soon, as more aircraft are fitted with new seats.
• Emirates has been operating flights to South Africa for 29 years and now offers up to 42 weekly flights.

Emirates, the leading intercontinental carrier to South Africa, is seeing extremely high demand for first class travel to and from the Southern African nation. Furthermore, the airline hopes to introduce premium economy soon as more aircraft enter its retrofit program.

High demand for first class travel

Emirates remains one of the few carriers still offering first class flights globally. Over the last few years, many airlines have moved away from first class, focusing on a more comprehensive business class product. Speaking to Simple Flying, Emirates Regional Manager of Southern Africa Afzal Parambil said the airline's first class product has been extremely sought after in South Africa, especially after the pandemic.

Emirates is also one of the few international airlines operating flights to South Africa’s three major gateways - Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Durban. It serves Johannesburg OR Tambo (JNB) with both the Airbus A380 and Boeing 777, while Cape Town International (CPT) and Durban King Shaka (DUR) are served with the 777. The airline offers 14 first class suites on the A380 and eight on the 777. Afzal Parambil added,

“Our first class has always been one of the most sought-after products in the market. First class has been extremely in demand in South Africa and even increased after the COVID-19 pandemic for various reasons. We have outperformed the industry's demand, and it continues to grow. We enjoy high load factors in our first class cabin.”

The carrier maintains product consistency out of all three gateways. Whether departing from Johannesburg, Durban, or Cape Town, it offers its chauffeur-drive service, lounge service, and consistent menus and onboard amenities for its first and business class passengers. The airline has its own lounges at OR Tambo and Cape Town airports.

Introducing premium economy soon

Emirates launched its premium economy class on the A380 in 2022. It currently offers premium economy flights from Dubai International Airport (DXB) to select destinations, including New York JFK, London Heathrow, Los Angeles, São Paulo, and Melbourne. While it flies the A380 to South Africa, it has yet to launch the product in this part of the world.

The carrier recently added 43 A380s and 28 777s to its cabin retrofit program, adding premium economy seats on more aircraft. According to Parambil, the airline does not have a specific time frame as to when it will introduce premium economy in South Africa, but it is one of the source markets in which it is looking to launch the product. The regional manager said,

“As more aircraft are fitted with premium economy cabins, South Africa can soon expect premium economy. We strongly believe it is something the South African market is looking forward to. We already see the demand and inquiries coming from our customers, so it is definitely on our radar.”

Given the distance between Dubai and South Africa, Emirates expects premium economy to be in high demand. The cabin offers wider, more comfortable leather seats, extra legroom, and a deeper recline than the standard economy class. It also offers a wider range of menu options and in-flight entertainment. Furthermore, the cabin is located at the front of the aircraft, giving customers greater priority when disembarking.

Discover more stories about the passenger experience here.

29 years of flights to South Africa

Emirates launched flights to South Africa in June 1995, operating three weekly flights to Johannesburg via the Comoros. Today, the airline has 42 weekly flights to South Africa, offering over 150,000 seats per month. This makes it the top intercontinental carrier in the country. The airline slowly ramped up its operations, introducing daily flights to Johannesburg and launching flights to Cape Town and Durban in 2008 and 2009, respectively.

The airline offers three daily flights to Johannesburg, two daily to Cape Town, and a daily service to Durban. Since launching flights to South Africa 29 years ago, it has carried over 20 million passengers. From a commercial and strategic perspective, South Africa has always been one of the most important markets for Emirates on the African continent and globally. According to Parambil, it is a strategic market both as a source market and as a destination.

Emirates has codeshare and interline agreements with South African Airways, Airlink, FlySafair, and Cemair, the country’s largest airlines. These agreements have given the Dubai-based carrier access to even more city pairs in the region. All these airlines have met Emirates’ expectations, providing a seamless travel experience for passengers flying to and from Johannesburg, Durban, and Cape Town.

The airline has also partnered with the South African Tourism Board, the Southern Africa Tourism Services Association, and other tourism organizations to market South Africa as a destination. It has also increased its presence regionally, signing an MoU with the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority in 2023 and, recently, with the tourism boards of Uganda and Mauritius.

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