British Airways’ new codeshare partnership with Airlink, a South African airline, will take off on 15 February, improving connectivity between the UK, Europe, North America and more than 15 destinations in Southern Africa.
With bases in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban, Airlink
operates a regional network of flights to 14 countries, including Zimbabwe, Zambia and Namibia.
The deal means that British Airways’ customers travelling from or transiting through London will be able to connect to their final destination via Cape Town or Johannesburg on a single ticket, providing more choice and flexibility for those travelling on to one of 18 towns and cities, such as Windhoek in Namibia and Durban in South Africa.
“This is an important next step in our partnership with British Airways, which has a phenomenal global reach into the most important markets for our region,” said Rodger Foster, Airlink’s
CEO and Managing Director. “The marriage of our two networks will benefit both British Airways’ and Airlink’s customers, giving them even more choice with a wide range of itinerary options and connectivity possibilities.”
British Airways currently flies twice daily between London Heathrow and Johannesburg with A380 aircraft, twice daily between London Heathrow and Cape Town with B777 and A350 aircraft and thrice weekly between London Gatwick and Cape Town with B777 aircraft.
In total, 18 destinations are available as codeshare options when
travelling from Heathrow via Johannesburg and Cape Town. Examples include:
London Heathrow to Durban via Johannesburg;
London Heathrow to Port Elizabeth, South Africa, via Cape Town or
Johannesburg;
London Heathrow to Skukuza, South Africa via Cape Town or Johannesburg;
London Heathrow to Windhoek, Namibia via Cape Town or Johannesburg; and
London Heathrow to Walvis Bay, Namibia via Cape Town or Johannesburg.
“Our flights to Cape Town and Johannesburg continue to be as popular as ever with our customers, so we’re pleased to be able to open up more options in the Southern African region,” said Neil Chernoff, British Airways’ Director of Network and Alliances. “Our partnership with Airlink means that customers will be able to book a full journey on one ticket, allowing seamless travel all the way from London to their final destination.”
Members of British Airways’ loyalty programme, the Executive Club, can earn Avios when flying on Airlink flights on a British Airways’ codeshare journey.
