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Airlines prepare for take-off in level 3 of lockdown
3 June 2020
With South Africa having moved down to level 3 lockdown on June 1, and many airlines opening flights on domestic routes, Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula has announced that the resumption of domestic flights would be rolled out in three phases.
Speaking at a media briefing on Saturday, Mbalula also mentioned that domestic air travel for business purposes will be allowed, subject to restrictions on the number of flights per day and written authorization to travel.
In a press statement last week, South African Airways (SAA) revealed that it is reinstating its domestic routes starting mid-June 2020. SAA’s Chief Commercial Officer, Philip Saunders, announced in a statement that it would focus on ensuring operational readiness to resume flights, once permissible.
Saunders said that all planned scheduled flights on its regional and international routes would remain cancelled until the end of June 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, adding that the airline would be reviewing the position on an ongoing basis.
“Our operational preparedness is underlined by the significant role the airline has played in global repatriations to and from South Africa and by our desire to serve the domestic market,” he said.
FlySafair said in a press statement that it is expecting to open ticket sales in the next week as it prepares to resume a reduced service from June 15. This announcement comes after the airline said that it was unlikely to fly during level 3 unless the government offered support.
However, he explained, the airline had had a change of heart, following the announcement by the Minister of Transport, Fikile Mbalula over the weekend regarding the reintroduction of air travel taking place over three phases.
Chief Marketing Officer at FlySafair, Kirby Gordon, said that the airline would resume operations in the next few weeks.
“We remain concerned about the feasibility of operating under the prescribed restrictions, but we cannot leave our staff unpaid any longer, and we feel obligated to do our part in reopening the South African economy,” he added.
Gordon said that the airline had a schedule it wanted to implement promptly, but approval on slots from Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) and Air Traffic Navigation Services (ATNS) was needed before it could publish the schedule. These schedules were dependent on the limitations to the timing and number of flights that FlySafair could operate.
He added that the airline intended to operate between 20 and 26 flights daily, apart from Saturdays.
Gordon explained that FlySafair, which previously operated 25 percent of the domestic market’s seating capacity, planned to operate on domestic routes, including Johannesburg to Cape Town, Johannesburg to Durban, and Cape Town to Durban.
Mango Airlines have been quiet about its plans for level 3, tweeting on May 29: “Dear Guests, We will issue an official statement regarding flight bookings once the Minister of Transport makes his address tomorrow. We will be able to advise Guests on any questions regarding flight bookings.” (sic).
Mango Airlines PR company said that it would reveal its plans in due course, while Comair has filed for business rescue, announcing that it would most likely only resume scheduled services in the last quarter of 2020.
Originally written by Travel Reporter, IOL
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