South Africa’s international air connectivity is set to receive a considerable boost over the 2026/27 summer season, with several airlines increasing their flight frequencies to Cape Town and Johannesburg, while others introduce additional capacity across their regional networks.
The increases will bring more seats onto some of the country’s busiest international routes, with airlines from Europe and the Middle East adjusting their schedules to accommodate the seasonal demand.
Several of the changes will take effect between October and December, with additional services continuing into the early months of 2027.
Here is a summary to the increase in frequency across international carriers.
Virgin Atlantic Increases London Services
Virgin Atlantic is increasing its services between London Heathrow and South Africa for the 2026/27 winter schedule, with both Cape Town and Johannesburg receiving additional weekly flights.
The airline will increase its Cape Town service from seven to 11 weekly flights, while its Johannesburg operation will rise from seven to 10 weekly flights. The additional services will operate alongside the airline’s existing daily connections, with the Cape Town route served by the Boeing 787-9 and the Johannesburg operation receiving a combination of Airbus A350-1000 and Boeing 787-9 aircraft.
Turkish Airlines Adds Frequencies to Cape Town and Johannesburg
Turkish Airlines is also increasing its presence in South Africa, adding three weekly flights to both Cape Town and Johannesburg from its Istanbul hub.
The additional services will take both routes from seven to 10 weekly flights, strengthening connections between South Africa and Istanbul, where passengers can connect to the airline’s extensive international network. The additional capacity will be operated using the Airbus A350-900.
Qatar Airways Boosts Johannesburg Services
Qatar Airways will introduce additional flights between Doha and Johannesburg during the peak December travel period, increasing the frequency from 14 to 18 weekly services between 2 December 2026 and 15 January 2027.
The additional flights will provide more capacity on the route, which is already served multiple times daily.
Depending on the service, the airline will deploy its Boeing 787-9, Airbus A350-900 and Airbus A350-1000 aircraft.
Emirates Adds More Capacity to Cape Town and Johannesburg
Emirates has also expanded its South African operations, with Cape Town now receiving a third daily service from Dubai. The additional flight, EK778, marked the introduction of the airline’s Airbus A350 to South Africa when it arrived at Cape Town International Airport in July 2026.
Johannesburg has also seen an increase in capacity, with Emirates reinstating its fourth daily service from Dubai on 1 July. The airline is deploying its Airbus A380 on selected Johannesburg services, alongside its Boeing 777 fleet.
Lufthansa Extends Its South African Schedule
Lufthansa is increasing its services to South Africa, with both Frankfurt and Munich receiving additional capacity ahead of the summer travel period.
The airline’s Frankfurt-Cape Town service will operate daily, while its Munich-Johannesburg route will increase from three to five weekly flights. The changes also mean that the Munich-Johannesburg connection will operate throughout the year, rather than being limited to a seasonal schedule.
Air France Increases Its Cape Town-Paris Flights
Air France has resumed its seasonal direct service between Cape Town and Paris Charles de Gaulle for the 2026/27 summer season, with the route receiving an additional two weekly flights from November.
The service initially operates three times a week following its return on 22 September. From 1 November, the airline will increase the frequency to five weekly flights, operating on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. The route is served by the Airbus A350-900.
Edelweiss Returns to Cape Town
Swiss leisure airline Edelweiss has also returned to the South African market, resuming its seasonal Zurich-Cape Town service in September.
The airline is operating the route five times weekly, with additional capacity scheduled during the season. Its services are operated using the Airbus A340, providing another direct connection between the Western Cape and Switzerland.
Airlink Expands Its Regional Network
Airlink is introducing several changes to its regional schedule for the Southern African summer season, adding frequencies and bringing additional capacity to routes connecting South Africa with neighbouring countries and Indian Ocean destinations.
Among the changes, the airline will increase its Johannesburg-Zanzibar service from two to three weekly flights during December.
Cape Town will also receive additional services to Harare, while the airline is adding capacity to destinations including George and Nosy Be. The expanded schedule will see the Embraer E190 and E195-E2 deployed across different services.
Ethiopian Airlines Returns to Durban
As previously reported by Newsroom ZA, Ethiopian Airlines will resume its passenger services to Durban on 11 December 2026, restoring a direct connection between King Shaka International Airport and Addis Ababa after a nine-year absence.
The airline will operate the route daily, making Durban its third South African destination after Johannesburg and Cape Town. The service will provide passengers with access to Ethiopian’s Addis Ababa hub and onward connections across its international network.
The route is expected to be operated using Boeing 737 MAX-8 aircraft.