| Developments: International Flights into South Africa Airlines are re-establishing profitable routes which connect Africa to the rest of the world and are fast opening a multitude of travel possibilities. In this newsletter we aim to explore which airlines are operating long haul routes into South Africa and how to get to other regional destinations. Capacity out of Europe  The greatest capacity comes from Northern Europe, supported by British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, KLM, Air France, Brussels Airlines, Lufthansa and Swissair. Demand is so positive that both Lufthansa and British Airways are operating out of two centres, Frankfurt and Munich, and London and Gatwick respectively. While most offer daily flights into Johannesburg, British Airways flies twice daily and Brussels Airlines just twice per week.European demand for Cape Town as a destination has always been very strong and this reflects in the number of international flights. Virgin Atlantic offer a daily service, Lufthansa and KLM offer ten flights per week, British Airways twice daily and Air France are operating three flights into Cape Town each week. Capacity out of The Gulf  Notably there isn’t much coming out of Southern Europe, but this slack is somewhat taken up by the likes of Etihad, Qatar and Emirates This means that travellers can easily route via the Gulf region, which has developed strong networks into Africa and Southern Africa. Emirates operates daily flights into Cape Town and twice daily into Johannesburg. Qatar has a very strong presence with two flights into Cape Town and three into Johannesburg daily. Alternatives  The two airlines to watch are Turkish and Ethiopian Airlines. From our perspective they are creating a lot of opportunities through promotions and growing networks. Turkish Airlines are currently flying into Johannesburg five times per week and Ethiopian Airlines are flying into to Johannesburg three times per day. Both airlines are operating daily flights into Cape Town. Pack for a Purpose  Luggage must also be a consideration. Airlines, like Qatar and Ethiopian Airlines, have very generous luggage allowances. This is great news for us as we encourage our travellers to Pack for a Purpose and bring donations of good quality second-hand clothing to support our outreach project. Please click on this link to learn more. Capacity out of the Americas  Access out of the United States is growing with the demand. Delta and United Airlines are operating out of Newark, Dulles and Atlanta. The nine US flights arriving in Cape Town and fourteen in Johannesburg per week is a good indication of interest.‘The airspace remains very changeable and even as we write there is news and promise of additional flights. It will also be interesting to see how the air fares hopefully stabilise! We are waiting with much anticipation for the Latam Airlines flight from Sao Paulo to resume and we believe South African Airways is also eyeing the South American market out and so we expect an announcement on this soon. Fingers crossed as our South American clients are very eager with itineraries in place and just waiting for the green light;’ Frances Wilson, Leisure Manager. Capacity within Africa  Eurowings Airline is operating direct flights from Frankfurt to Windhoek in Namibia and then between Namibia and in Nelspruit, with direct access to the Kruger National Park region. This service is available three times per week.RwandAir and Kenya Airways are also worth bringing into the mix. RwandAir flies to London and Brussels while Kenya Airways flies to New York, Amsterdam, London and Paris. They both in turn then link with South Africa too. Kenya Airways has three daily flights to Johannesburg and six Cape Town flights per week. RwandAir offers nine weekly flights into Johannesburg and three into Cape Town. |
| In Closing Alex Wrottesley – MICE Manager It is encouraging to see airlines answering to the demand of people wanting to visit South Africa. Air Access is always the first barrier to entry for travel and the simpler the route and the more cost effective it can be, the more accessible the destination. |