New international flights from South Africa are coming
FlySafair is looking to massively expand its operations with a series of new flights across international and local routes.
Speaking at a media roundtable, FlySafair Chief Marketing Officer Kirby Gordon said the company is considering a host of new international flights.
Gordon said that the airline is looking to add new flights to its Harare, Zimbabwe route, given its success thus far, with around 8,000 seats per week.
It is also looking to establish a Joburg-Windhoek link, given that it already operates in Windhoek via its Cape Town route.
Other African capitals are also attractive for the low-cost airline. This includes Lusaka, Zambia, and Nairobi, Kenya, even though Gordon admitted the latter is incredibly competitive.
In South Africa, he added that the Cape Winelands Airport, which is currently under construction, is incredibly attractive for the airline.
He said that the R8 billion airport is making significant progress on environmental matters, but is still a few years from launch.
He noted that the airport will bring significant change to the local aviation landscape, especially regarding flight diversions and their costs.
Flights must carry fuel for a diversion from the route. Cape Winelands will thus be an alternative route for long-haul flights arriving in Cape Town.
While planes have to carry additional fuel to reach the diversion, this means more fuel is actually burnt to carry the additional weight.
International flights will no longer have to fly to Johannesburg or Durban if they can’t land in Cape Town.
The airport will also receive a retainer from airlines in the event of a diversion, meaning it will still earn revenue even if the plane doesn’t land on its runway.
The airport will also serve a growing part of South Africa, with Gordon noting that Belville’s GDP is larger than Namibia’s.
Gordon admitted that there are limits to how much FlySafair can expand its operations, as the airline cannot offer routes that do not include South Africa.
The airline thus cannot operate flights between international destinations, such as the Harare-Windhoek route.
Moreover, while Harith Aviation is set to acquire FlySafair, pending approval from the Competition Tribunal and the Reserve Bank, Gordon said the airline will not benefit from a massive influx of cash.
He noted that Harith is a value investor and will look to benefit from FlySafair’s continued operations in South Africa.
While the airline is set to receive a shipment of Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft in 2028, these aircraft were ordered before the Harith deal was announced.
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