New SAA routes for Cape Town... including Mauritius!
South African Airways plans to spread its wings with a clutch of new flights, including two exciting new routes out of Cape Town. Travel News by TNW is reporting that SAA's Chief Commercial Officer Tebogo Tsimane confirmed the new routes at the recent Travel Indaba held in Durban.
The most exciting route on the horizon is a direct seasonal flight between Cape Town and Mauritius, set to launch in November 2025. Just in time for a summer escape, this new route offers a smoother way to reach the Indian Ocean island, without the usual Johannesburg layover.
Air Mauritius already offers a direct service from Cape Town, and increased competition will hopefully see fares fall. Also, the scheduling of the Mauritius flight is a nightmare start to an island holiday: an 11:35pm departure from Cape Town, a night with little sleep, and an early morning – 6:40am – arrival at Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport. Let's hope the SAA schedule is a little less brutal!
Also on the cards is a direct Cape Town to Durban service, although no launch date has been confirmed yet. This route has been missing from SAA's schedule for years, and its return will make cross-country hops easier for both business and leisure travellers. Again, you could use FlySafair (their R11 sale was a massive hit!) or Airlink (check out their Gaborone flights too) right now, but more competition will mean more options, and hopefully cheaper flights.
Cape Town isn't the only city receiving attention. Other updates include a new Johannesburg-George route launching in April 2026 and a Johannesburg-East London service still awaiting a launch date. Regionally, flights from Johannesburg to Gaborone, Botswana, are scheduled to start in October 2025.
SAA is also polishing up its long-haul ambitions, with plans to restart intercontinental services to Mumbai, India, and to launch new flights to Guangzhou, China in 2026.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
22-05-2025
- The Sun
Budget airlines have finally hit rock bottom – cheap standing seats on flights would be a disaster
IT'S time to take a stand against budget airlines - although we might soon not have a choice. Terrifying travel news this week, that a handful of unnamed airlines are considering introducing standing-only seats on planes. 4 4 Despite looking better suited to a death-defying rollercoaster than a two-hour plane journey, it's been suggested that they could become be the norm for cheap flights, with it becoming a 'privilege' to get a proper seat. The uncomfortable-looking designs by Aviointeriors have a slanted, saddle-like base that allows the passengers to still be strapped in, while standing upright. it's the third version of the design, which was first revealed by Aviointeriors as far back as 2010 and has since gone through a number of 'improvements.' They claim to take up much less space than a standard economy seat, with just just 23 inches compared to 31 inches. That'll be music to low-cost airlines ears, who presumably are envisioning more crammed passengers to squeeze cash from - after repeatedly shrinking legroom, chair width and luggage allowances over the last 20 years. I love to walk around a cabin to stretch my legs, but I hardly want to be standing the whole time. Standing might even be preferable over this bizarre, half leaning situation. It reminds me of that awkward perch against a pub garden fence when you run out of seats - something never comfortable but acceptable after a few pints. Maybe these are the seats for those passengers enjoying some Wetherspoon beers before a flight, who will barely notice whether they are upright when boarding. I am all for a cheap flight - notoriously never checking in a suitcase to avoid any extra fees - but there are some things that I think are a necessity on a flight. Plane seats of the future – with no tray tables, TV screens or seat pockets and full screen dividers between each row And one of them? Being allowed to sit down. The rollercoaster like seat certainly would be just as uncomfortable during turbulence as a rollercoaster seat is when being spun and flung around corners. And I don't expect them to be a 'cheaper' option despite Ryanair's Michael O'Leary previously touting the idea of £1 standing seats in 2012. After all, Ryanair and easyJet's cheapest fares are now around £15 - but this comes without any luggage, unlike good old days when it had a free suitcase. Low-cost airlines ditched these back in 2018 - but this has hardly been passed onto the consumer in the way of price, seeing as flights back then could be found for £4.99. So with free luggage gone, and it appears cheap sit-down seats to be next, who knows what' else could gone. else is around the corner. 4 It was Ryanair who once suggested they would charge passengers to use the bathroom. Perhaps we'll have to pay to have a back to our seats, after a bizarre back-less easyJet seat went viral back in 2019. Thankfully we seem to be a way off from them being rolled out. Aviointeriors confirmed that while there has been "interest" in the seat, no airlines have actually bought them. Don't expect to see them on long-haul flights either, as it's suggested it will only be on flights less than two hours. But who knows, it's one step closer to removing seats all together, making the term "cattle class" that bit more apt. The only upside? Don't expect someone wanting to take the seat next to you if it's empty. Hey, it could be the latest plane hack to getting a row to yourself.
Time Out
20-05-2025
- Time Out
New SAA routes for Cape Town... including Mauritius!
South African Airways plans to spread its wings with a clutch of new flights, including two exciting new routes out of Cape Town. Travel News by TNW is reporting that SAA's Chief Commercial Officer Tebogo Tsimane confirmed the new routes at the recent Travel Indaba held in Durban. The most exciting route on the horizon is a direct seasonal flight between Cape Town and Mauritius, set to launch in November 2025. Just in time for a summer escape, this new route offers a smoother way to reach the Indian Ocean island, without the usual Johannesburg layover. Air Mauritius already offers a direct service from Cape Town, and increased competition will hopefully see fares fall. Also, the scheduling of the Mauritius flight is a nightmare start to an island holiday: an 11:35pm departure from Cape Town, a night with little sleep, and an early morning – 6:40am – arrival at Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport. Let's hope the SAA schedule is a little less brutal! Also on the cards is a direct Cape Town to Durban service, although no launch date has been confirmed yet. This route has been missing from SAA's schedule for years, and its return will make cross-country hops easier for both business and leisure travellers. Again, you could use FlySafair (their R11 sale was a massive hit!) or Airlink (check out their Gaborone flights too) right now, but more competition will mean more options, and hopefully cheaper flights. Cape Town isn't the only city receiving attention. Other updates include a new Johannesburg-George route launching in April 2026 and a Johannesburg-East London service still awaiting a launch date. Regionally, flights from Johannesburg to Gaborone, Botswana, are scheduled to start in October 2025. SAA is also polishing up its long-haul ambitions, with plans to restart intercontinental services to Mumbai, India, and to launch new flights to Guangzhou, China in 2026.
Time Out
07-05-2025
- Time Out
Qantas drops news on Johannesburg to Perth flights
Good news for South Africans who have family in Australia and those who fancy a trip Down Under. Qantas has announced a new direct flight route between Johannesburg and Perth beginning in December. The airline prides itself in offering its consumers top-class flight experiences which feature its award-winning wine, food, friendly cabin crew and inflight entertainment. The announcement was made this week on the airline's website. 'The opportunity now exists to take more South Africans to Australia, with a direct flight proposition, as well as bring Australians to South Africa. It does support the demand on the route given the fact that Australia has so many South African expats in the region (around 200,000) and it opens up more opportunities for visiting friends and family, plus for corporate and leisure travel,' said Michi Messner, Qantas Regional Manager Africa, according to Travel News. The flights between Perth and Johannesburg will resume on December 7. Bookings are open on Qantas' website.
