SAA to begin non-stop flights to Guangzhou to boost cargo operations

May 07, 2019: Effective September 18, South Africa Airways (SAA) will launch direct flights between Johannesburg and Guangzhou, China, it said in a statement. This is yet another strategy implementation initiative aimed at enhancing its route network.

The Guangzhou route will cater for a range of travellers including business and corporate travellers and will be of special interest to traders. Cargo operations will complement the viability of this route considering that high-value cargo is sourced from Guangzhou.

SAA will be the only carrier operating a direct service between Johannesburg and Guangzhou, with a flight time of approximately 13 hours and 40 minutes, providing the shortest travel time on a nonstop basis between the two points.

There will be three new flights a week to Guangzhou, and these will complement SAA's current operations to Hong Kong, which will fly four times a week. The aircraft operated on both the routes will be A340-300 aircraft.

Guangzhou is the largest city in the Guangdong province in South China and the third largest Chinese city after Beijing and Shanghai. It is an important transportation hub and trading port, located on the Pearl River about 120km Northwest of Hong Kong.

For more travel options for SAA customers flying to and from Guangzhou, the airline has interline agreements with China Southern Airlines, China Eastern, Air China, and Hainan Airlines.

SAA is also negotiating a codeshare agreement with Hong Kong Airlines, expected to be in place this financial year. Hong Kong airlines will codeshare on SAA’s Hong Kong-Johannesburg sector and provide feeder traffic from Japan, Korea, Philippines, and China.