South African Airways has increased its flight services between Johannesburg’s O. R. Tambo International Airport (JNB) and Perth Airport (PER), from three to five times weekly.
The airline initially added a fourth service between the two cities on December 17, 2024, and announced that it will add a fifth weekly flight by January 2025.
The South African flag carrier first returned to Perth from Johannesburg in April 2024 after a four-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Exciting news! SA280 is now airborne with a full complement of 210 passengers on
board. A heartfelt thank you to all SAA staff, our invaluable partners and stakeholders shoutout to Airports Company South Africa Gauteng Tourism Authority and the Australian High Commissioner in… pic.twitter.com/Kl6JXfPXDT— SAA – South Africa (@flysaa) April 28, 2024
According to the 2021 Australian census, 189,207 Australian residents were born in South Africa, making up 0.7% of the country’s population.
Australia is home to one of the largest South African communities abroad with approximately 189,230 South Africans living in the country, according to a 2019 Department of Home Affairs study.
Perth Airport’s Chief Commercial and Aviation Officer Kate Holsgrove said South African Airways adding more services into Perth was “great news” for Perth and Western Australia.
“The increase to five services per week on the airline’s Airbus A340-300 aircraft will result in 131,560 seats being available on the route per year which is a massive bump to the Perth market,” Holsgrove said.
“This is great news for Perth and Western Australian residents who have family connections in South Africa and for those looking to travel and explore the African continent,” she added.
South African Airways operates the Perth to Johannesburg service on its fleet of A340-300 with a total of 253 seats configured with 38 business class seats and 215 economy class seats.