International airlines are slowly making their way back to South Africa.
Delta is among the latest airlines to return to South Africa, with flights scheduled from August 1. Delta will operate three flights a week between Atlanta and Johannesburg on board the Airbus A350-900.
The Atlanta-Johannesburg flight will depart on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, at 7 pm. The Johannesburg-Atlanta flight depart on Monday, Thursday and Saturday, at 10.55 pm.
The airline will also restore service to its pre-Covid markets in Africa, including Ghana, Senegal and Nigeria.
Delta’s flights to Johannesburg will operate in partnership with Air France, KLM and Virgin Atlantic. Passengers can also travel to South Africa via Delta’s European hubs in Paris and Amsterdam.
Furthermore, Johannesburg flights will operate using the Airbus A350-900, which features the award-winning Delta One Suites and Delta Premium Select cabins, large seat-back entertainment screens and high-capacity overhead bins, among other enhancements.
According to the airline, this marks the debut of one of Delta’s newest aircraft in its fleet between the United States and South Africa.
Joe Esposito, the senior vice president for network planning at Delta Air Lines, said in a statement that the airline was thrilled to return to South Africa, a route they have operated for more than 15 years.
“With demand growing rapidly alongside U.S. vaccination rates, we’re bringing back more flights and destinations to deliver on their anticipation to get back out in the world and reclaim the joy of travel," he said.
Meanwhile, Emirates also announced a return to South Africa this week.
The airline will resume flights from Wednesday, June 23, 2021.
In a statement, the airline said: "We look forward to facilitating travel from these countries and supporting various travellers’ categories. We will resume carrying passengers from South Africa, Nigeria and India in accordance with these protocols from 23rd June. We thank the Supreme Committee for their continuous efforts in monitoring the development of the situation and announcing the appropriate guidelines and protocols to protect the community and safeguard the travel sector.“