Emirates boosts up South African operations with A350 deployment.

On July 1, 2026, Emirates launched its third daily service on the Dubai-Cape Town route. The first arrival of new service landed at Cape Town International Airport, which also marked the debut of the airline’s next-generation Airbus A350 in South Africa.

The newest model in Emirates’ all-widebody fleet, the A350, offers the newest in-flight amenities. The airline’s Premium Economy cabin, which debuted in South Africa in September 2025, is now more accessible thanks to the deployment.

Afzal Parambil, Emirates’ Regional Manager for Southern Africa stated, “Cape Town has long been one of the most popular destinations on our African network. We have a strong belief in this market, as seen by the introduction of a third daily route using our newest aircraft. The new route gives travellers more options and an easier link to our worldwide network through Dubai, while the A350 offers the latest passenger experience. We’d like to extend our thanks to the South African authorities for their participation and support in achieving this new route and look forward to having passengers onboard.”

The new route boosts connectivity for South African visitors, offering more choice, flexibility, and improved access to Emirates’ worldwide network, via Dubai, notably long-haul destinations in West Asia, Australasia and the Far East.

The agreement between Emirates and Wesgro, the tourism, commerce, and investment development agency for Cape Town and the Western Cape, which was signed in April 2026, is further strengthened by the introduction of the new service. The two institutions are working together to bring additional visitors from major markets such as the Gulf, the Far East, and India.

Outside of Cape Town, Emirates also reintroduced its fourth daily flight to Johannesburg on July 1, 2026, boosting weekly connectivity to Dubai to 56 weekly trips from all three South African gateways. The deployment is further supplemented by the seasonal deployment of the second A380 service into Johannesburg. A fully modified A380 with the most recent cabin interiors and the Premium Economy cabin will now operate EK761 and EK762.