BA boosts South Africa connectivity with codeshare

British Airways has announced a codeshare partnership with Airlink, improving connectivity between the UK, Europe, North America and more than 15 destinations in southern Africa.

Premium regional airline Airlink has bases in Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Durban in South Africa, with a network of destinations in 14 African countries.

The agreement means BA passengers travelling from or transiting through London will be able to connect to their final destination via Cape Town or Johannesburg on a single ticket.

BA currently flies twice a day between Heathrow and Johannesburg; twice daily between Heathrow and Cape Town; and three times per week between Gatwick and Cape Town.

Members of BA loyalty programme, the Executive Club, can earn Avios when flying on Airlink flights on a BA codeshare journey.

Neil Chernoff, BA 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.”

Rodger Foster, Airlink’s chief executive and managing director, 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.”

Eighteen destinations are available as codeshare options when travelling from Heathrow via Johannesburg and Cape Town. Examples include Durban and Port Elizabeth in South Africa, plus Windhoek and Walvis Bay in Namibia.

Codeshare tickets are now available to book for travel from February 15.

Other Southern Africa destinations are pending government approval and might join the codeshare agreement at a later date.