British Airways has announced a codeshare with South African regional carrier Airlink.
The agreement will allow BA customers travelling from or transiting through London Heathrow to connect to their final destination via Cape Town or Johannesburg on a single ticket.
Airlink has bases in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban in South Africa, with a network of cities in 14 countries.
Passengers will be able to access 18 destinations including Windhoek and Walvis Bay in Namibia, and Durban, Port Elizabeth and Skukuza in South Africa.
Codeshare tickets are currently available to book for travel from February 15.
BA currently operates twice-daily flights between London Heathrow and Johannesburg as well as Cape Town. The airline also flies three times per week between London Gatwick and Cape Town.
The codeshare will fill the gap left by South African carrier and BA franchisee Comair when it ceased operations last year.
Neil Chernoff, BA’s director of network and alliances, said:
“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. 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.”
Airlink’s CEO and managing director, Rodger Foster, added:
“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. 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.”
Members of British Airways’ Executive Club can also earn Avios when flying on Airlink flights on a codeshare journey.
Last year both Qatar Airways and Emirates signed codeshare deals with Airlink.
Qatar Airways signs codeshare agreement with South Africa’s Airlink
