Regular flights between Johannesburg and Perth are a reality once more, with South African Airways (SAA) reviving the popular link between Australia’s west coast and South Africa. Perth is the airline’s second trans-oceanic route to launch since COVID, after São Paulo in late 2023.

And yes, you can now book a ‘southern hemisphere’ ticket between Perth and São Paulo with an overnight stop (or longer) in Johannesburg.

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Flying to Perth on the Airbus A340

Seats are already on sale for a 28 April 2024 launch. Initially, SAA will fly to Perth three times a week on an Airbus A340-300 with 38 seats in Business Class and 215 seats in Economy.

  • SA280: Depart JNB 8:55pm and arrive PER 12:20pm (+1) on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays
  • SA281: Depart PER 11:50pm and arrive JNB 4:45am (+1) on Monday, Wednesday and Saturdays

SAA hints that the Airbus A340 is only being used in the ‘launch phase of the route’, paving the way for the airline’s newer Airbus A330-300s or Airbus A350-900s to take over in the future.

The SAA Airbus A340-300 sports an older-style Business Class.

A Star Alliance and Virgin Australia partner

South African Airways is both a Star Alliance member and a partner of Virgin Australia. You can now use various points to book the Perth-Johannesburg route, including KrisFlyer miles, Aeroplan Points and Velocity Points.

If you want to use Velocity Points, look for availability on the Air Canada website first. Take note of those dates and then call up Velocity Frequent Flyer to make the booking. Unfortunately, you can’t book SAA flights on the Virgin Australia website at the moment. Also, note that availability can differ between partners – seats you see on Aeroplan might not always translate to availability with Virgin Australia.

With Velocity Points, expect to pay the following per person, one-way:

  • Economy: 42,000 points + fees and taxes
  • Business: 78,000 points + fees and taxes

In related news, fellow Star Alliance member airline, Thai Airways, has also today announced a return to Perth from 31 March 2023. Flights between Bangkok and Perth will run daily on a Boeing 787, with fares also now available to book with Aeroplan Points.


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South African Airways soars back to Perth was last modified: March 12th, 2024 by Brandon Loo