Emirates (EK, Dubai International) and its dispute with the South African government over a recently launched fourth daily service to Johannesburg O.R. Tambo has now escalated to diplomatic channels South Africa's Business Day has reported.

The South African Department of Transport had attempted to block the Emirati carrier from launching its fourth daily flight to the South African metropolis earlier this week which, analysts claim, is largely over concerns its expansion into Africa was putting increased pressure on struggling national carrier, South African Airways (SA, Johannesburg O.R. Tambo).

According to the report, the South African acting chief director of aviation, Vuwani Ndwamoto, assented to the flight in a letter written in August. However, his superior, deputy director-general Zakhele Thwala then wrote a letter to Emirates just ten days before the flight's scheduled launch on October 27 withdrawing permission.

Just three days ahead of Monday's launch, the UAE-based carrier successfully petitioned a Pretoria High Court to force the South Africans to allow the flight to go ahead in accordance with the terms of a 2007 Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) between the two countries.

The department has said it will contest the court order being made final and that it wants the fourth flight stopped.

It has since emerged that since the court ruling, the UAE has written to South Africa's Minister of Transport, Dipuo Peters, asking for an explanation into the dispute. In addition, Ndwamoto has now been suspended pending an investigation into whether or not he had the authority to write such a letter in the first instance.

Pretoria has sought to renegotiate the BASA's terms only to be rebuffed by the Emiratis.