By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Etihad Airways is marking 20 years of nonstop flights between Abu Dhabi and Johannesburg, celebrating one of the airline’s longest-standing routes in Africa.
Since launching the service in 2005, the carrier has flown almost 2 million passengers between the UAE and South Africa, with more than 100,000 guests travelling the route in 2025 alone.
The milestone highlights Johannesburg’s role as a strategically important gateway in Etihad’s expanding African network, offering nonstop access to Abu Dhabi and onward connections across the Middle East, Europe, North America, the Indian Subcontinent and Asia Pacific via Zayed International Airport. The route also supports strong business, tourism and cultural links between the two countries, while benefitting from growing regional partnerships across Southern Africa.
Johannesburg’s 20-year milestone comes at a time when Africa is strengthening Etihad’s global network growth. The continent continues to demonstrate strong and resilient travel demand, supported by a rapidly growing population of international travellers and deepening economic and cultural ties with the UAE.
“Johannesburg has played an important role in our African network for two decades. The strong performance we continue to see both in passenger demand and corporate travel, highlights the long-term relationship between the UAE and South Africa, and the value Etihad brings in enabling trade and tourism. Africa remains a key pillar of our global strategy, and we are proud to continue supporting this dynamic market as part of our wider Journey 2030 ambitions,” said Javier Alija, Vice President Global Sales & Distribution at Etihad Airways.
The Johannesburg route continues to show robust performance from the corporate segment, with corporate revenue in 2025 increasing by more than 50 per cent year-on-year. The market benefits from strong UAE–South Africa economic relations and Abu Dhabi’s growing position as a global business hub.
The airline has expanded its presence with new services launched in the past year to key African gateways including Tunis, Addis Ababa, and Nairobi. Established connections to destinations such as Casablanca and Cairo continue to perform strongly, benefitting from access to Etihad’s growing global network.
The airline’s strategic partnership with Ethiopian Airlines further enhances Etihad’s reach across Africa, offering guests improved connectivity to a broad range of destinations across the continent beyond Etihad’s own network.
As Etihad celebrates 20 years in Johannesburg, the airline remains committed to deepening its presence across Africa with enhanced services, broader partnerships, and an expanded network to meet rising demand across the continent.