The new flight, which will operate daily, forms an integral part of Delta?s expansion into Africa and will significantly improve customer travel options to multiple destinations across the US.

Flight DL35 departs Johannesburg at 7.35pm daily, stopping in Dakar, Senegal at 3am.It depart Senegal at 4.15am, arriving in Atlanta at 8.50am.

The return flight DL34 departs Atlanta at 4.25pm, arriving in Johannesburg at 4.35pm the following day.

Commenting on the new Delta service, Frank Jahangir, Delta?s Vice President Sales & Affairs for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) said: "Delta is uniting people and cultures more than ever before in our airline's history and we are excited to pioneer new routes that expand our global reach and add convenience to the lives of our customers.

"This new route will open a corridor of commerce between South Africa and the world's largest airline hub in Atlanta, facilitating travel throughout all 50 states in the US as well as Latin America and the Caribbean.

"As the only major U.S. carrier to operate service to Johannesburg from the United States, Delta will offer many important new travel options for business and leisure travellers, along with multiple opportunities for freight forwarders and cargo shippers."

Delta will operate the new flights using Boeing 767-300ER aircraft configured to carry 214-passengers with 35 seats in BusinessElite, Delta?s award-winning business class.

Customers choosing to fly BusinessElite will enjoy Delta?s enhanced service introduced earlier this year, including more comfortable seats with all-leather coverings, improved leg rests, more durable and comfortable cushioning throughout the seat, and the same 152cm of legroom that has made BusinessElite a customer favourite.

According to Jahangir, "Atlanta is the business capital of the southern United States, home to the world's largest airline hub and has the seventh-largest population of South African-born residents in the US. With this flight, Delta customers travelling from SA to Atlanta will now have convenient connection opportunities to more than 220 destinations worldwide including key business destinations such as Los Angeles, Washington and Dallas as well as leisure destinations such as Miami, Orlando and Las Vegas."

Speaking about Delta?s maiden flight, Moeketsi Mosola, Chief Executive Officer of South African Tourism said: "As the first major US airline to operate a scheduled service between the United States and South Africa, it is a great pleasure to welcome Delta Air Lines to SA.

?It is encouraging that the fastest-growing international carrier in the US has shown confidence in promoting travel between our countries. From a tourism perspective, the US has always been an important source market for SA ? a fact clearly highlighted by this year?s arrivals figures, which have exceeded expectations and shattered previous records.

Delta Air Lines offers customers service to more destinations than any global airline with Delta and Delta Connection carrier service to 290 destinations in 46 countries. With more than 50 new international routes added in the last year, Delta is America?s fastest growing international airline and a leader across the Atlantic with flights to 28 trans-Atlantic destinations.

To Latin America and the Caribbean, Delta offers more than 400 weekly flights to 49 destinations. Delta's marketing alliances also allow customers to earn and redeem SkyMiles on more than 14 000 flights offered by SkyTeam and other partners. Including its SkyTeam and worldwide codeshare partners, Delta offers flights to 445 worldwide destinations in 92 countries. Customers can check in for flights, print boarding passes and check flight status at delta.com.