SAA to Restart US Flights in 2026

[Philip Glass]

South Africa Airways is planning to restart their service to Washington Dulles by way of Accra Ghana late next year. They are now completely privately owned and trying to expand albeit slowly. This is a flight I have taken in the past. Although I doubt I'll fly this route again the added competition is welcomed. They really don't have the right planes to maximize this route and they have many regulatory hurdles to overcome to reintroduce this fifth freedom route. We will see.

https://airlinegeeks.com/2025/04/18/south-african-airways-plans-to-restart-u-s-flights/

 

[Ridge Runner]

On my second trip to RSA I flew this route. Although it isn't a bad flight, our layover was only for refueling with those whose final destination or flight chance were able to disembark the plane the rest of us had to remain on the plane for the IIRC 45 minute refueling.

Even though we were not allowed to disembark the plane the fact I was in Africa made the temporary stop refreshing.

I'll +1 with @Philip Glass on not using SAA again for a trans Atlantic flight as I favor Qatar Alice's with the layover in Doha.....perhaps I might, like winning the lottery, have a chance to spend some time to sightsee, shop, and have a taste of the local cuisine; away from the airport.

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

I flew SAA from New York (JFK) to JNB (non-stop) in 2018. No issues and was an okay experience in b-class.

 

[JimP]

I flew the same flight as 375 Ruer did. Non stop from NY to Joberg and I was in economy. It was a overnight flight and once pretty much everyone was asleep the flight crew allowed us to just grab whatever we needed from the galley, The flight home had a stop in Dakar for refueling.

 

[Hunt anything]

Would this be an option for anyone hunting west Africa or are they just stopping in route to Johanasburg and not on the return flight?

 

[Philip Glass]

Would this be an option for anyone hunting west Africa or are they just stopping in route to Johanasburg and not on the return flight?

The do disembark passengers in Ghana.

 

[wesheltonj]

Too many flight options out of DFW, IAH & AUS, to screw with IAD or JFK, EWR, BOS, PHL, CLT.

 

[KuduKiller]

I flew with them my first few trip with the stop in Senegal. About an hour on the tarmac with bug bombs being set off and walked down the isles. Nope, I like the Delta flight too much. A bit more expensive but faster!

 

[CAustin]

South Africa Airways is planning to restart their service to Washington Dulles by way of Accra Ghana late next year. They are now completely privately owned and trying to expand albeit slowly. This is a flight I have taken in the past. Although I doubt I'll fly this route again the added competition is welcomed. They really don't have the right planes to maximize this route and they have many regulatory hurdles to overcome to reintroduce this fifth freedom route. We will see.

https://airlinegeeks.com/2025/04/18/south-african-airways-plans-to-restart-u-s-flights/

Interesting news

 

[sureshot375]

When I first started going to Africa we flew SAA from Miami to Joberg.

I enjoyed flying SAA back then.

Living in Georgia it’s hard for me to justify anything other than Delta out of Atlanta.

 

[kurkasi]

South Africa Airways is planning to restart their service to Washington Dulles by way of Accra Ghana late next year. They are now completely privately owned and trying to expand albeit slowly. This is a flight I have taken in the past. Although I doubt I'll fly this route again the added competition is welcomed. They really don't have the right planes to maximize this route and they have many regulatory hurdles to overcome to reintroduce this fifth freedom route. We will see.





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Yeah, it's good to see them coming back, even if slowly. More competition is always a plus, though you're right—they’ll need better aircraft and to clear some serious regulatory stuff for that route to really work.

 

[Philip Glass]

Too many flight options out of DFW, IAH & AUS, to screw with IAD or JFK, EWR, BOS, PHL, CLT.

I do agree especially for us but more competition can help get those ridiculous Delta prices down. I saw a stat the 3x more people fly from the NY area to JNB than ATL-JNB. I can't understand why Delta does not fly 2x daily during the summer at least.

 

[Philip Glass]

It was nice back in the day when I took these SAA flights (MIA-CPT, JFK-JNB, IAD-JNB) for the simple fact that with the South African flag on the plane and uniforms and of course the accents made you feel like you were already there!

 

[Russ16]

Too many flight options out of DFW, IAH & AUS, to screw with IAD or JFK, EWR, BOS, PHL, CLT.

But for those of us who live in the DC area this is great news. We have Qatar and Emirates out of IAD but this completion may help keep prices in check.

 

[Hunt anything]

Will SAA fly big five cargo? It would be nice to put some competition on Turkish Airlines.