British Airways and Airlink partner to boost flight connectivity in South Africa
Domestic airline Airlink has announced a new codeshare agreement with British Airways, improving air travel between the UK, Europe, North America and more than 15 destinations in Southern Africa.
The new agreement between the two companies means that travellers, for example, coming from Cape Town or Johannesburg or transiting through London (or vice versa), will be able to connect to their destination on a single ticket.
This will offer more choice and flexibility for those travelling from one of 18 towns and cities, such as Windhoek in Namibia and Durban in South Africa, said Airlink.
With bases in Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Durban in South Africa, Airlink is a vast regional airline with a wide-reaching network of cities in fourteen countries, including South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Namibia.
After the liquidation of Comair, amongst other airlines, last year, domestic flight capacity was reduced by 40% in South Africa. Airlink is one of the primary remaining suppliers of domestic air transit in the country.
According to Airlink, the new move should boost tourism between the UK and Southern Africa and tap into other British Airways markets via London flies twice daily between Johannesburg and London Heathrow with A380 aircraft, twice daily between Cape Town and London Heathrow with B777 and A350 aircraft and three times per week between Cape Town and London Gatwick with B777 aircraft.
Neil Chernoff, the director of network and alliances at British Airways, said that the airline’s flights to Cape Town and Johannesburg continue to be as popular as ever.
“We are pleased to open more options in the Southern African region. Our partnership with Airlink means that customers will be able to book a full journey on one ticket, allowing seamless travel all the way from London to their final destination,” said Chernoff.
Airlink’s CEO and managing director, Rodger Foster, added that the agreement is an important next step in its partnership with British Airways, which has a significant global reach into the most important markets.
“The marriage of our two networks will benefit both British Airways’ and Airlink’s customers, giving them even more choices with a wide range of itinerary options and connectivity possibilities.”
In total, 18 destinations are available as codeshare options when travelling from Heathrow via Johannesburg and Cape Town. Examples include:
- London Heathrow to Durban via Johannesburg
- London Heathrow to Port Elizabeth, South Africa, via Cape Town or Johannesburg
- London Heathrow to Skukuza, South Africa, via Cape Town or Johannesburg
- London Heathrow to Windhoek, Namibia via Cape Town or Johannesburg
- London Heathrow to Walvis Bay, Namibia, via Cape Town or Johannesburg
Other Southern Africa destinations are pending government approval and might join the codeshare agreement at a later date, the group said.
Loading ...
