Growth and expansion for local airlines ahead

After three years of market turbulence, the surviving airlines in South Africa are soaring ahead with network expansion and growth plans.

Lift, which celebrates its second birthday in December, starts operating flights between Johannesburg and Durban in October and Airlink has wrapped up the domestic and regional network with more than 200 daily flights.

The only remaining low-cost airline, FlySafair, operates a fleet of 23 aircraft and covers all major domestic trunk routes. Cemair has plans to upgauge its fleet and increase its domestic and regional network.

Meanwhile, SA Airways continues to operate its current routes and its mothballed lowcost airline, Mango, remains waiting in the wings for approvals and deal making to secure a fresh take-off.

Lift has taken a prudent approach to growth, said chief executive Jonathan Ayache. The airline focused on creating a sustainable model for its Joburg-Cape Town route first before setting off an expansion drive.

“We launched in the middle of the pandemic and while that was not enough of a challenge, the market dealt several blows to the sector,” he said.

Post-Covid fuel prices have tripled, according to Ayache, and navigating a new reality for airline input cost was critical.

“Airfares right now are compensating for the massive increase, but margins are thinner.” Comair’s closure contributed to stabilising the market that was oversubscribed on available capacity.

Ayache said Lift is enjoying full aircraft at the moment and after its Joburg-Durban route launch, it plans to close the golden triangle loop and start flying Durban-Cape Town; and thereafter some regional routes.

He said: “We are adding four aircraft to our fleet on a flexible basis to enable the business to respond to market conditions with agility, flexing capacity up or down as needs be.

We are happy where things are right now.” Flysafair, which is launching its new livery later this week, started operating Joburg-Bloemfontein flights in mid-September with a twice weekly service on Fridays and Sundays.

“We’ve been looking at this route in our planning for some time and are now proud to say that our flight network connects all major cities in South Africa,” chief executive Elmar Conradie said in a statement.

Airlink did not let the grass grow under its feet and signed a codeshare agreement with Air Belgium within days of announcing its milk run flight between Brussels, Joburg and onward to Cape Town.

The airline has also sewn up relationships with Qatar, Emirates and a host of others to secure its position as the preeminent role player in SA aviation.

Airlink chief executive Rodger Foster said: “Through this cooperative arrangement with Air Belgium, Airlink offers inbound business and leisure travellers an unmatched choice of onward connections across our entire network, which spans 36 destinations in 11 sub-Saharan countries.

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