South African Airways will launch direct flights between Johannesburg and Guangzhou on September 18.

SAA will be the only carrier operating a direct service between Johannesburg and Guangzhou, with the flight operating three times a week with a flight time of 13 hours and 40 minutes.

The flights will complement SAA’s service four times a week service to Hong Kong.  An Airbus A340-300 will operate both the Guangzhou and Hong Kong routes.

Guangzhou flight schedule:

Flight SA288 will operate on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. It will depart Johannesburg at 19h25 and arrive in Guangzhou at 15h05 the following day. Return flight SA289 will operate on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays. It will depart Guangzhou at 22h15 and arrive in Johannesburg at 05h30 the following day.

Hong Kong flight schedule:

Flight SA286 will operate on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. It will depart Johannesburg at 16h45 and arrive in Hong Kong at 12h40 the next day. Return flight SA287 will operate on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, departing Hong Kong at 23h55 and arriving in Johannesburg at 07h05 the next day.

Guangzhou’s extensive fast train network connects the city with important destinations in China within one to three hours of SAA’s arrival and departure time. Travelling time on the train between Guangzhou and Hong Kong is 45 minutes.

SAA is also negotiating a codeshare agreement with Hong Kong Airlines, anticipated to be in place this financial year, giving travellers further options  beyond Hong Kong. Hong Kong Airlines will codeshare on SAA’s Hong Kong-Johannesburg sector and provide feeder traffic from Japan, Korea, Philippines and China.