South African Airways (SAA) will resume daily flights between Johannesburg and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, from Monday 20 January 2025.
The reopening marks an important milestone in strengthening ties between Africa's two most influential economies.
“This flight is more than just a milestone for SAA to connect Johannesburg and Dar es Salaam through air travel. It is a bridge that connects two of Africa's most influential economies and strengthens the friendship between our two countries. ” said Professor John Lamola, SAA's Interim Chief Executive Officer.
The renewal of the route is expected to boost trade, investment and economic cooperation between South Africa and Tanzania.
Mr Ramola said: “By connecting industry, communities and resources, we will unlock greater prosperity, foster cooperation and create new opportunities for trade, investment and development for both our economies and the people of South Africa and Tanzania. It can be produced.”
The countdown has begun to resume daily flights between Johannesburg and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania on Monday 20 January 2025. ✈️
“This flight is more than just a milestone for SAA to connect Johannesburg and Dar es Salaam through air travel. It heralds the arrival of a bridge between the two… pic.twitter.com/9cr4PH7naQ
— SAA – South Africa (@flysaa) January 16, 2025
Dar es Salaam, East Africa's largest city and regional economic center, is the gateway to major tourist attractions and an important center of trade.
South Africa already accounts for a large share of foreign direct investment in Tanzania, with active trade in agricultural products, precious metals, chemicals and machinery.
Lamola said the relaunch is in line with SAA's broader strategy to strengthen its presence across Africa.
“SAA's regional networks have emerged as top performers and contribute significantly to SAA Group's revenues. More importantly, these regional connections are critical to South Africa's broader economic growth,” he said. said.
Flight schedule details
Daily flights depart from Johannesburg's OR Tambo International Airport at 10pm (SAST) and arrive at Dar es Salaam's Julius Nyerere International Airport at 2:30am (EAT).
The return flight will depart from Dar es Salaam at 5:10am (EAT) and arrive in Johannesburg at 7:55am (SAST). Tanzania runs one hour earlier than South Africa.
Schedules are created to accommodate both point-to-point and connecting passengers, ensuring flexibility and convenience for travelers.
Expanding regional and international networks
SAA's resumption of the Johannesburg-Dar es Salaam route follows recent expansion of its regional network. In November 2024, the airline increased its weekly flights to Harare (Zimbabwe) and Lusaka (Zambia) to 12 each.
Flights to Lagos (Nigeria) and Accra (Ghana) have also been increased to four times a week. Additionally, SAA has increased its presence in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) with five weekly flights to Kinshasa and new flights to Lubumbashi, the mining capital of the DRC.
On intercontinental routes, SAA will increase flights to Perth, Australia to five times a week from 7 January 2025, underscoring the airline's commitment to providing comprehensive connectivity.
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Photo: @flySAA_US/X
