Etihad will resume flights to Johannesburg and start a Cape Town service from November 25 this year. The Abu Dhabi flag carrier announced this along with the news that it has also added Zanzibar to its winter schedule, from November 26.
The linked service to South Africa will operate three times a week, on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
The route will be serviced by a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, with 28 seats in business-class, 78 in premium economy and 184 in economy class. Flight EY0602 departs Abu Dhabi at 02h00 and arrives in Johannesburg at 08h15. The flight then departs Johannesburg at 09h35 and continues onward to Cape Town, arriving at 11h45. Flight EY0601 departs Cape Town at 15h30 and arrives in Johannesburg at 17h40. The flight then departs Johannesburg at 19h00 and arrives in Abu Dhabi at 05h05 the following day.
Etihad closed its office in Johannesburg at the end of December 2020, terminating the employment of the local staff. It is not yet known if the airline will again open its own offices in South Africa or rely on GSA representation. The airline says in a release that passengers flying Etihad to Abu Dhabi up until March 31, 2022, may access a complimentary ticket to Expo2020, the mega show in Dubai, via the Etihad website.