Emirates arrives in Cape Town with a third daily service and its newest aircraft

Emirates arrives in Cape Town with a third daily service and its newest aircraft as the Dubai–Cape Town route welcomes its first flight, EK778, to Cape Town International Airport. The arrival also marks the South African debut of the airline’s next-generation Airbus A350, the latest addition to Emirates’ widebody fleet. Emirates said the aircraft introduces redesigned cabins focused on brighter, airier spaces and enhanced in-flight entertainment, expanding access to its Premium Economy cabin. That cabin first launched in South Africa in September 2025 and is now described as consistently popular. The new flight, together with a partnership agreement signed in April 2026 between Emirates and Wesgro for Cape Town and the Western Cape, is intended to improve connectivity via Dubai to long-haul destinations in West Asia, Australasia, and the Far East. Elsewhere, Emirates reinstated a fourth daily Johannesburg service on 1 July 2026 and will operate EK761 and EK762 with a fully retrofitted A380 equipped with Premium Economy. The airline also noted increased SkyCargo capacity for commodities from South Africa.