Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Tourism formally endorsed Emirates’ launch of a third daily flight to Cape Town on Friday, 3 July 2026, framing the expansion as directly aligned with national economic and tourism policy objectives.
The committee’s backing, communicated through official parliamentary channels, positions the new service within its mandate to oversee tourism recovery and job creation. Chairperson Ms Ronalda Nalumango characterized the timing as deliberate. “More airlift is exactly what is needed,” she said in a statement released by Parliament. She linked the additional frequency to employment outcomes, trade facilitation and export competitiveness, all areas the committee is mandated to monitor.
The expansion increases seat availability and connects South Africa to more than 140 Emirates destinations globally. Nalumango identified the Middle East and Asia as priority source markets for both tourism and trade, and argued the new service opens direct access to those regions for South African businesses and international visitors alike.
The committee’s statement goes beyond passenger travel. Nalumango highlighted cargo capacity as a material benefit, noting that the additional frequency will support the export of South African agricultural products, including fresh produce, fruit, vegetables, meat, dairy, seafood and flowers. That framing extends the committee’s institutional interest into trade logistics and export policy, not only tourism arrivals.
What changed in the committee’s public positioning is the explicit accountability dimension. Nalumango stated that the committee intends to work with Emirates, Airports Company South Africa and the broader tourism sector to ensure visitor experience standards are maintained. The statement signals Parliament’s expectation of continued collaboration between the airline, airport operators and the tourism value chain, and places that expectation on the record.
The committee’s formal welcome also functions as institutional recognition of private sector investment in South African infrastructure. By endorsing the expansion through parliamentary communication channels, the committee signals that it views air connectivity as a measurable input into achieving tourism arrival targets, particularly from key source regions.
“Every additional flight is more jobs, more bookings and more opportunities for our people,” Nalumango said, tying the airline’s commercial decision directly to outcomes Parliament is expected to account for.
The committee’s statement is available at https://www.parliament.gov.za/press-releases/media-statement-tourism-committee-welcomes-emirates-third-daily-flight-south-africa. Media Officer Sureshinee Govender is available for further inquiries on the committee’s position.
Whether the committee will establish formal benchmarks to measure the flight’s contribution to arrival targets and job creation remains an open question.