South African Airways plans to spread its wings with a clutch of new flights, including two exciting new routes out of Cape Town. Travel News by TNW is reporting that SAA’s Chief Commercial Officer Tebogo Tsimane confirmed the new routes at the recent Travel Indaba held in Durban.
The most exciting route on the horizon is a direct seasonal flight between Cape Town and Mauritius, set to launch in November 2025. Just in time for a summer escape, this new route offers a smoother way to reach the Indian Ocean island, without the usual Johannesburg layover.
Air Mauritius already offers a direct service from Cape Town, and increased competition will hopefully see fares fall. Also, the scheduling of the Mauritius flight is a nightmare start to an island holiday: an 11:35pm departure from Cape Town, a night with little sleep, and an early morning – 6:40am – arrival at Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport. Let’s hope the SAA schedule is a little less brutal!
Also on the cards is a direct Cape Town to Durban service, although no launch date has been confirmed yet. This route has been missing from SAA’s schedule for years, and its return will make cross-country hops easier for both business and leisure travellers. Again, you could use FlySafair (their R11 sale was a massive hit!) or Airlink (check out their Gaborone flights too) right now, but more competition will mean more options, and hopefully cheaper flights.
Cape Town isn't the only city receiving attention. Other updates include a new Johannesburg-George route launching in April 2026 and a Johannesburg-East London service still awaiting a launch date. Regionally, flights from Johannesburg to Gaborone, Botswana, are scheduled to start in October 2025.
SAA is also polishing up its long-haul ambitions, with plans to restart intercontinental services to Mumbai, India, and to launch new flights to Guangzhou, China in 2026.
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