Air access to South Africa on the rise

A number of international airlines have announced they will be launching new routes or increasing existing frequencies to South Africa over the coming few months.

Air France KLM will start operating daily flights between Amsterdam and Cape Town year round starting in May; the airline will use the new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner on the route. Also, Air Botswana has announced it will reintroduce a direct service between Maun and Cape Town beginning March 25.

Spanish airline Iberia has announced it will once again fly to South Africa. The airline will resume flights between Madrid and Johannesburg in August, operating an Airbus A330-300. “When we stopped flying to Johannesburg, we said we would resume our flights on this route as soon as possible,” said Iberia’s Chairman and CEO, Luis Gallego. “Now we’ve come back to stay, with a new brand image and new, more fuel-efficient aircraft, equipped with new cabins and much improved customer service.”

The South African coastal city of Durban has seen no less than three new international airlines starting operations in the past few weeks. In the beginning of November, Turkish Airlines launched direct flights from Durban, while Qatar Airways and Ethiopian Airlines have started direct services from mid-December.

Credit: Travel Weekly