FlySafair applies for more Harare-Joburg flights a...

FlySafair applies for more Harare-Joburg flights and mulls combining Victoria Falls and Livingstone

Zim Now Reporter

South African low cost airline FlySafair says it has applied for increased frequency on the busiest flight route in Africa and is likely to stick to one destination to service travellers to Victoria Falls.

"We would love to add additional frequencies, so we have an application with the Air Services Licensing Council for increased frequencies on that route. We are currently flying everything we have been awarded. We are waiting for a decision on that application because it is a good route,” FlySafair, Chief Marketing Officer, Kirby Gordon told Simple Flying on the side lines of AviaDev Africa conference in Namibia last week.

He said the airline has already applied to the Air Services Licensing Council (ASLC) and is waiting for approval before adding another frequency.

Gordon said FlySafair which currently operates daily flights between the two destinations has seen high demand and is looking to add a second daily flight.

Just a year after launching flights to Victoria Falls and Livingstone, the airline is set to consolidate the route as there are only 30km between the places although they are in different countries.

"It has been very interesting to operate into both these airports and to see the pros and cons of the routes. We are currently reviewing the routes to see what we can do to possibly consolidate or narrow the focus into them and take a slightly different approach. We don't think it is long-term sustainable to do both, but we are glad we did in terms of getting to understand what the route and the market look like."

Gordon did not say which route is likely to be axed.

Statistics show that Victoria Falls is the busier access point to one of the biggest tourist attractions on the continent with 35 weekly flights from Johannesburg to Victoria Falls, operated by five airlines while Livingstone only has nine weekly flights operated by two airlines.

Victoria Falls airport got a US$ $150 million upgrade commissioned in 2016 giving it the capacity to service 1.5million passengers a year and accommodate long haul flights from around the globe,