Abu Dhabi International Airport last night welcomed the arrival of South African Airways’ (SAA) inaugural flight from Johannesburg to the UAE’s capital.

The maiden flight, which was greeted with a traditional water cannon salute, marks the start of SAA’s operations to Abu Dhabi International Airport, with the carrier offering daily direct flights between Johannesburg and the UAE’s capital.

The commencement of direct flights between Johannesburg and Abu Dhabi by SAA forms part of the airline's growing network, with onward destinations through a codeshare agreement with Etihad Airways substantially increasing the airlines Asian end points.

SAA’s flight to Abu Dhabi, SA 278, will arrive into the capital at 20:25 hrs, with the return flight, SA 279, departing Abu Dhabi for South Africa’s largest city at 02:05hrs.

The route will be served by an A330-200 aircraft with a two class configuration, catering for a capacity of 222 passengers. 

Eng. Ahmad Al Haddabi, Chief Operations Officer at Abu Dhabi Airports, said: “We are delighted to welcome South African Airways to Abu Dhabi International Airport, which builds our connections with the continent. The addition of yet another major airline to our network of carriers reaffirms our position as a thriving global transport hub.”

Nico Bezuidenhout, acting Chief Executive Officer of SAA, said: “The addition of Abu Dhabi to our international route network delivers not only an important new destination for our customers, but also sees SAA increase its Asian network substantially. The codeshare agreement with Etihad, as well as the double daily frequency on the route, should generate significant volume and positive returns for both South African and UAE business and tourism travel volumes, with onward network end points increasing greater reach.”

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