Airlink flies Durban - Johannesburg air service
Posted by
Airlink is a privately owned, independent local airline that is leading the restoration of air service in Southern Africa, with its fleet of more than 50 aircraft including E170s and E190s. Airlink introduced domestic flights between Durban and Johannesburg early October.
KZN MEC for Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs, Nomusa Dube-Ncube, affirmed “Our main goal as government is to ensure that we provide the business community with the necessary support for them to function optimally, this new air service by Airlink helps us grow KwaZulu-Natal's air connectivity capacity, which will benefit both business and leisure travel to the province as we work to propel our economy.”
“We welcome Airlink's decision to commence scheduled services between Joburg and Durban, with the majority of the traffic on the route being business travel, we are confident that the airline has introduced the right aircraft to sustainably grow its presence on this route as we all begin to work to assure the public that it is once again safe to travel.” Notes Mr. Hamish Erskine, Dube TradePort CEO and co-chair of Durban Direct
Mayor of eThekwini Municipality, Councillor Mxolisi Kaunda welcomed this development.
“ The tourism sector is a key contributor to the City’s economy and the aviation industry is the indispensable for tourism to boom. As our country has graduated to level one of lockdown, we are pulling all the stops to re-ignite tourism and in order to create much needed economic activities, not only in the city but in the townships. These good news are a clear demonstration that we are doing things right,” said Kaunda.
The airline will be flying three daily flights from Monday to Friday, and two daily flights on Saturdays and Sundays between OR Tambo International Airport and King Shaka International Airport, operating an Embraer E170 regional jets, which comfortably seats 74 passengers including a business class (View Flight Schedule).
Terence Delomoney, General manager of King Shaka International Airport says, “We have been greatly encouraged by the reintroduction of Airlink to the region. We want to emphasise that continuing to maintain a safe airport environment is our key priority and we will continue to build confidence and trust amongst our travelling public.”
Airlink flight tickets include free 20kg checked-in baggage, 30kg for business class and 15kg sporting equipment allowance, and a complementary inflight service.
“This is welcomed by the province as it will go a long way to boost both leisure and business tourism, a great relief given the impact Covid-19 has had on the tourism sector,” says Phindile Makwakwa Acting CEO Tourism KwaZulu-Natal and co-chair of Durban Direct
Brazilian aerospace manufacturer Embraer, makers of the Embraer E170 regional jet, remarked in a recent statement, "Embraer E-Jets are proving to have the right capacity as airlines ramp up their schedules in this weak-demand period. Many airlines in Europe, China, the USA, and now South Africa are all rebuilding their networks with E-Jets."