AFlySafair, the expanding South African airline, plans to further capitalise on opportunities arising from the demise of domestic counterparts Mango and Comair by expanding its route map to include destinations in Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe, Aviation Week news portal reported on Monday, 7 August.
According to the website, the airline currently offers services to two international points, Mauritius and Zanzibar in Tanzania, and plans to add four new routes departing from O.R. Tambo International Airport (JNB) in Johannesburg, with operations scheduled to begin in October.
Daily flights to Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare, will begin on 2 October, along with a four-times-weekly service to Livingstone, located in south-western Zambia. FlySafair will then begin operations to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe on 3 October, offering flights three times a week. Subsequently, on 5 October, the airline will extend its network to Mozambique’s capital, Maputo, with a four-times-weekly service.
“Plans for these routes have been in the pipeline for several months,” said Kirby Gordon, FlySafair’s marketing director. “Tourism in Africa is definitely on the road to recovery. We look forward to helping play our part in growing the tourism industry at home and abroad by connecting people through our passion for aviation.”
FlySafair has experienced a period of rapid growth in recent years, benefiting from the gaps in the market left by the exit of South African Airway (SAA) subsidiary Mango in July 2021 and privately-owned Comair in May 2022. According to data provided by OAG Schedules Analyser, FlySafair is offering 196,000 weekly seats on 16 routes this week (starting today, 7 August), compared to 89,500 seats and 11 routes in 2019.
The airline operates a fleet of 54 aircraft, all Boeing 737s, including 43 737-800s, eight 737-400s, two 737-400Fs and one 737-800F.
