South Africa's two coastal international airports are getting new long-haul connections, with Qantas set to launch direct flights between Sydney and Cape Town and Ethiopian Airlines resuming its route to Durban.

Qantas announced on Friday that it will start a seasonal service between Sydney and Cape Town International Airport in October next year, running until March 2028 to coincide with Australia hosting the Rugby World Cup in 2027. It will be the first direct air link between Sydney and Cape Town, and Qantas says it will add almost 30,000 seats on the route.

First direct Australia to Cape Town link

The service will operate three times a week, on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays, using a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, as part of the airline's largest fleet renewal programme. The first flight, QF89, departs Sydney on 19 October 2027, leaving at 9:15am and arriving in Cape Town at 2:40pm, a journey of about 14 hours and 25 minutes. The service runs through Cape Town's summer until 24 March 2028, and tickets went on sale on 6 November, with economy return fares starting from AU$2,470.

Qantas already flies from Sydney and Perth to Johannesburg, and passengers travelling on to Cape Town have generally connected there with partner airline Airlink. The new service removes that transfer for Cape Town-bound travellers, and also allows itineraries that arrive in Cape Town and return from Johannesburg.

The route will be supported by new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners arriving in late 2027. Qantas International chief executive Cam Wallace said the fleet renewal would create new opportunities for the airline's people and its network.

Ethiopian returns to Durban after nine years

Ethiopian Airlines, Africa's largest airline, announced in September that it will re-enter the Durban market with direct flights between its Addis Ababa hub and King Shaka International Airport from 11 December. It will resume daily passenger services to Durban following a nine-year absence on the route, a move hailed by KwaZulu-Natal government and business officials.

The Durban resumption comes as demand for travel to South Africa's coastal cities builds ahead of the December holiday season. Regional carrier Airlink is also increasing frequencies on two leisure routes, adding capacity between Johannesburg and Zanzibar and expanding its direct Cape Town to Mauritius service.

Together, the two announcements give Cape Town and Durban their biggest international boosts in years: a first-ever non-stop link to Australia for the Mother City, and the return of Africa's largest airline to KwaZulu-Natal's main airport after nearly a decade away.

Read the Moneyweb report on the new routes and the Travel Weekly report on the Sydney to Cape Town service for the full detail.