Johannesburg - Domestic airline fares on the busy route between Johannesburg and Cape Town – which shot up after low-cost airline 1time stopped flying in December last year – are expected to drop when Safair introduces its own scheduled service in a few weeks’ time.
Dave Andrew, the chief executive of Safair, a long-established airline that provides back-up services to others, confirmed yesterday that it planned to open ticket sales next month and to operate 10 flights a day between Johannesburg and Cape Town by the fourth quarter. It would use two Boeing 737-400s on the route.
Andrew said he was certain fares in general would come down once a third low-cost airline, FlySafair, entered the market. He looked forward to offering flights at competitive prices. In fact many regular travellers on domestic flights have flown with Safair before without knowing it. Safair is one of the industry’s leading service providers and has provided unmarked aircraft and crew to fill in for all the domestic airlines when needed.
The 50-year-old company, which is 75 percent South African-owned, with the other 25 percent belonging to the Irish ASL aviation group, has many years of experience in providing aircraft leasing, maintenance, special operations, chartering and training services.
It has provided flights and carried goods and supplies throughout Africa and other parts of the world for international aid organisations, including the Red Cross and UN World Food Programme.
It sold its heavy maintenance division to 1time several years ago, but has had to resume such work for its own aircraft at this stage, since the closure of 1time’s Jetworx unit.
Andrew said that once Safair had established its service between Johannesburg and Cape Town it would probably be extended to other destinations on the Golden Triangle, including Durban, Port Elizabeth or George.
Although the airline industry was going through a difficult period, “we would like to remind people that we have been flying commercially for almost half a century and have the necessary experience, expertise and record of excellence needed to provide world class industry-leading services to the low-cost airline industry in South Africa. We have no doubt that FlySafair will further grow the domestic market.”
Rodney James, one of the founders of 1time, has obtained a licence to start a new domestic airline, Flywise, but it has not yet announced any firm plans to start operations.
SAA’s low-cost airline, Mango, launched services on the Cape Town-Port Elizabeth and Johannesburg-Port Elizabeth routes before Christmas last year. It recently announced the start of a new route between Johannesburg and George. - Business Report
