South African Airways has strengthened its partnership with Brazil’s Varig airlines as the South American carrier resumes its flights to South Africa.

To accommodate its long-time code-share partner, SAA has adapted its schedule from six flights a week between Johannesburg and Sao Paulo to four. Varig, which stopped flying to South Africa in 1999, will resume flying to Johannesburg four times a week. Both airlines will code-share on each other’s flights, meaning this will enable them to book passengers on each other’s flights.

The route between Johannesburg and Sao Paulo has shown tremendous growth as trade between Brazil and South Africa has increased 151 percent from 1999 to 2003.