Emirates and South African Airways agreed to expand a codeshare partnership and explore other areas of bi-lateral co-operation in a boost to the state-owned African carrier, struggling to turn a profit since 2011.
The expanded commercial partnership will see the two airlines leverage one another’s route networks, cargo services and flight schedules to increase passenger flows, Emirates said in an emailed statement on Tuesday.
«This agreement marks a significant forward step in the execution of our strategy and in transforming our business,» Vuyani Jarana, chief executive of SAA, said in the statement. «The expansion of our partnership will further strengthen key focus areas of the implementation of our turnaround plan.»
The troubled South African national carrier, which has more than 9 billion rand (Dh2.389bn) of debt, is in the midst of restructuring by cutting staff and unprofitable routes and expects to break-even within the next three years. The carrier is a major concern for President Cyril Ramaphosa’s government, which is battling to ease the debt burden of state-owned companies on public finances.
The new agreement with Emirates includes plans to enhance the two airlines’ frequent flyer programmes, Emirates’ Skywards and Voyager by SAA. Emirates became a Voyager airline partner in 2000. This means Voyager members are able to earn and redeem air miles on flights operated by Emirates, while Skywards members are able to earn and redeem miles on SAA-operated flights…
