South African Airways to relaunch Joburg – Perth flights as economic ties strengthen

New York City, New York - March 1, 2020: South African Airways Airbus A350-900 airplane at New York JFK airport (JFK) in New York. Airbus is a European aircraft manufacturer based in Toulouse, France.
Edited by Travel Weekly


    South African Airways will fly across the Indian Ocean for the first time since the pandemic today when the first of its relaunched Johannesburg to Perth flights touches down today.

    The South African Airways flights will connect 40,000 more passengers per year in each direction, between Perth and Johannesburg using Airbus A340-300s.

    Flight Centre Corporate Global COO Melissa Elf said South Africa was an important economic contributor to Australia, particularly in the mining, oil, and gas sectors.

    “We’ve seen an eight per cent uplift in demand from our corporate travellers moving between Australia and South Africa in the first quarter of this year, compared to the first quarter of last year,” Elf, said.

    “Almost half of that travel is related to the mining, oil, and gas sector, and we see large demand across Arts, Entertainment, Recreation, Construction and Education industries.

    “The rate of air capacity compared to before the pandemic has been among Australia’s lowest across all international routes, sitting at 37 per cent prior to these South African Airways flights recommencing.

    “From this weekend, we’ll see that jump up to 61 per cent of pre-pandemic capacity, and we’re anticipating it to hit around 90 per cent by the end of the year.

    “This is already having a positive impact on the cost of fares, which were down by 11 per cent last quarter, compared to the first quarter of 2023.

    “We’re expecting to see this trend continue in the coming months as travellers see new options enter the market.”

    Johannesburg flights will depart at 8:55 pm on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, landing in Perth the next day at 12:20 pm.

    Flights from Perth will take off at 11:50 pm on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, landing in Johannesburg at 4:45 am the following day.

    “Australians are a valuable source of foreign direct spend in our economy, contributing to both direct and indirect South African employment through tourism,” head of communications, South African Airways, Vimla Maistry, said.

    “Additionally, Mining is a significant economic driver of both economies.

    “The route was introduced to service this economic sector.”

     

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