Delta Air Lines announced in May its countdown to the first non-stop service between South Africa and the US, which starts on June 2, replacing daily services via Dakar.

Delta's service between Johannesburg and Atlanta will be operated with the airline's flagship Boeing 777-200LR aircraft, featuring 180-degree, full-flat seats in business class.

Passengers flying non-stop to Delta's hub at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport will save about three hours in each direction when compared to the current one-stop service, and six hours when compared to routes over Europe.

They will also be able to make connections to 175 cities throughout the US, Latin America and the Caribbean.

Delta, which also operates three weekly services from Cape Town, is the only US airline to link Africa and the US.

By June it will operate from nine cities in seven African countries: Johannesburg, Cape Town, Lagos, Abuja, Nairobi, Dakar, Monrovia, Cairo and Accra.