Fastjet Increases Victoria Falls International Flights With New Maun Service

Aero Insights
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Fastjet Increases Victoria Falls International Flights With New Maun Service

HARARE, ZIMBABWE | Fastjet Zimbabwe, has today Thursday 30th of June 2022, launched its inaugural flight from Zimbabwe’s tourism capital Victoria Falls to Maun in Botswana the home of the Okavango Delta.

The new service route will operate four (4) times a week on a Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday. The new flight arrangement will provide the much-needed scheduled connectivity between Victoria Falls and Maun allowing visitors the ease of travel when exploring the region’s top attractions.

“We are thrilled to launch a scheduled service to Maun in Botswana from our ever-growing Victoria Falls tourism hub,” said Nunurai Ndawana fastjet Zimbabwe spokesperson. “We continue to strengthen Victoria Falls as a regional tourism hub and the introduction of this new flight service four times a week will connect two of Southern Africa’s most sought-after destinations, the Victoria Falls and the Okavango Delta with a reliable scheduled air service”.

Fastjet Zimbabwe Chief Commercial Officer, Vivian Ruwuya commented, “Victoria Falls remains one of our strategic destinations and this route adds to fastjet’s international presence in the region. To ensure the sustainable development of this route, we are going to adjust our size and operate the Maun flights using a dual fleet model of our Embraer ERJ145 aircraft and our partner’s Cessna Grand Caravan 208B. Both aircraft are known for their ability to provide the versatility to build a sustainable regional network with their right-size capacity”.

All fastjet fares include free baggage allowances and no-cost flexible change options, with the airline recently having announced an extension to the Flexible Change policy until the end of September 2022.  

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For further information please contact our travel trade team at [email protected].
CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS
FASTJET GROUP
[email protected]

Travel confidence on the rise

Business Travel
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Travel confidence on the rise

More than two years on from the onset of the global pandemic, widespread concerns about COVID-19 appear to be declining, as international travel resumes amid fewer travel restrictions and rising vaccination rates.

According to a live poll conducted by data and analytics company GlobalData, 57% of respondents are ‘not concerned’ or are ‘not very concerned’ about the spread of COVID-19, suggesting that tourists are more prepared to live with COVID-19 than ever before.

“However, the turbulence and uncertainty of COVID-19 has created several challenges that are likely to further complicate recovery,” says Hannah Free, Travel and Tourism Analyst at GlobalData.

“Rising demand, coupled with mass layoffs and competition for talent with other sectors, has resulted in widespread labour shortages in several tourism economies such as the UK, the Netherlands and Spain.

“The global travel and tourism industry’s post-pandemic recovery is gaining traction as pent-up demand for international travel rekindles. According to GlobalData’s latest forecasts, on a global scale, international departures will reach 68% of pre-COVID levels in 2022,” Free predicts.

“This is expected to improve to 82% in 2023, and 97% in 2024, before fully recovering by 2025 at 101% of 2019 levels. There is reason to be cautiously optimistic for the return of travel demand as growth in international travel is finally expected in 2022.”

Qatar and Airlink link up

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Qatar and Airlink link up

Qatar Airways and Airlink have signed a comprehensive new codeshare agreement to offer travellers greater connectivity between 45 destinations in 13 countries across southern Africa and the rest of the world.

Now, connecting flights can be purchased on both airlines using a single reservation with seamless ticketing, check-in, boarding and baggage-check for the entire journey.

The new codeshare flights are available for sale and will commence travel on July 6, 2022, subject to government approval.

Agents can now make bookings for their customers from any southern African city where Airlink has services, to popular US destinations like New York and Dallas, European destinations such as London, Copenhagen and Barcelona, and points across Asia like Manila, Jakarta and Cebu. 

QR’s footprint is also increased in southern Africa by virtue of the codeshare,  with improved access to destinations such as Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth), which serves the Addo Elephant National Park and the Garden Route; Hoedspruit and Skukuza, which serve the Kruger National Park and its concessions and satellite conservation parks;  George, which serves the Garden Route and is home to the spectacularly beautiful and world-renowned golf course at Fancourt; and beyond South Africa  to Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. 

Qatar Airways’ Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Akbar al Baker said: “Expanding our network with Airlink gives our customers more choice of destinations and flights that we hope will contribute to the rapid recovery of travel, which plays such an important role in southern African economies.

“We have boosted our presence in the African market by adding eight new destinations since the start of the pandemic and fostering partnerships such as this dynamic agreement with Airlink, which will greatly enhance our offering to our customers and support travel and trade.”

Airlink MD and CEO, Rodger Foster said: “This development is an endorsement of Airlink’s relevance to providing air access to the entire region through our expansive network of destinations, which, when considered in conjunction with Qatar Airways’ global reach, creates unparalleled connectivity opportunities.

As southern Africa’s leading airline, Airlink provides comprehensive, safe, and reliable air transportation services, enabling socio-economic development by connecting people with each other and facilitating trade within the region and beyond.”

Qatar Airways offers direct flights from Doha to Johannesburg 21 times weekly, to Cape Town 10 times weekly and to Durban four times weekly.

No water at Matobo National Park

Business News
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No water at Matobo National Park

THE Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks) could have lost up to US$60 000 in potential earnings as one of the country’s top tourist destinations and Unesco World Heritage Site, the Matopo National Park has gone
for two months without running water.

During this period, the park estimates that approximately 5 500 visitors, especially those who sought overnight bookings in lodges within the park and who would have undertaken activities such as guided walks, fishing, rhino walks and camping
were turned away.

Since the end of April, the National Park has been without water after the breakdown of pumping equipment at Maleme Dam. The park has not had access to tapped water forcing it to close down and refuse bookings from clients.

The park has also been forced to cancel existing bookings as a result of the water crisis. The Zimparks regional manager for the Matopo Region, Mr Midwell Kapesa said since then, the park has been unable to function fully as a result of the water crisis with the relevant authority, the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa)
reportedly struggling to secure the needed parts to fix the damaged equipment.

I would like to stress that the cost of this closure is estimated at about US$60 000 while about 5 500 visitors were unable to access our overnight services and products.
The situation is really bad especially since tourism was beginning to improve after the easing of travel restrictions.

We were hoping to increase our occupancy rates while also encouraging domestic tourism, but we instead have lost a lot in potential earnings over this period,” he said.
Zinwa corporate communications manager Mrs Marjorie Munyonga confirmed the troubles at the national park when she responded to questions from this publication on Friday.
“The water challenges that are being experienced at Matopo National Park have resulted from a breakdown of pumping equipment at Maleme Dam.

Zinwa has not been able to pump water from Maleme Dam to the National Park leading to the current water situation at Matobo National Park. Zinwa has taken delivery of the requisite spares needed for the repairs at Maleme.

Repairs have commenced with the hope that normal water supplies at Matopo National Park will resume this weekend.

Zinwa sincerely regrets the inconveniences that may have resulted from this water supply disruption.”

However, at the time of going to print, the sources confirmed that water had still not been restored to the national park.

Comair’s exit expedites Lift’s growth plans

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Comair’s exit expedites Lift’s growth plans

The liquidation of the operator of kulula.com and British Airways domestic flights has left a gap in the market.

SA’s youngest airline Lift plans to grow its fleet of aircraft by up to three times by the end of 2022, in part to cater for the void left by Comair.

Lift co-founder and CEO Jonathan Ayache says that although expansion has been on the cards for the airline, Comair’s sudden exit from the market has expedited Lift’s growth plans.

“Our expansion plans have definitely been expedited … We’re looking to increase our fleet two to three times before the end of the year.”

However, he says that in order to avoid the same fate suffered by Comair, any expansion beyond that will be dictated by market demand.

“Traditionally, airlines are very focused on growing their seat capacity and hope that there’s the demand when it isn’t there … We’re very focused on being demand driven as opposed to being supply driven and [wanting] growth at all costs.”

Lift currently operates three Airbus A320 aircraft on its Johannesburg-Cape Town route, with each flight having a capacity of 162 passengers – 150 in economy and 12 premium seats. This is less than the seat capacity offered by market competitors FlySafair, which operates about 24 Boeing-737 planes that can carry around 189 passengers per flight.

Ayache says Lift is also looking to expand its presence to more local routes, such as Johannesburg-Durban and to the Eastern Cape in future.

FlySafair is spreading its wings to the rest of Africa

Aero Insights
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FlySafair is spreading its wings to the rest of Africa
  • Low-cost airline FlySafair launched its first route outside of South Africa in March, with flights between Johannesburg and Mauritius.
  • FlySafair is looking for a foothold in the regional space.
  • The airline has applied for flights to Zanzibar, Maputo, Lusaka, Livingstone, Gaborone, Seychelles, Victoria Falls, Bulawayo, Nairobi, and Luanda.
  • It also wants to fly more frequently to Mauritius.

Low-cost carrier FlySafair is looking to expand beyond South Africa’s borders, with flights planned for 10 new destinations on the continent.

Since first taking to the skies eight years ago, FlySafair has focused all its energy on South Africa’s domestic market. During that time, South Africa’s turbulent aviation sector has undergone massive changes, none so serious as the Covid-19 pandemic and its impact on travel.

While international carriers have been hardest hit by Covid-19, domestic carriers have suffered too, with passenger volumes still nowhere near levels recorded prior to the pandemic.

For airlines that entered the pandemic in an uneasy financial position, Covid-19 has proven to be the death knell. Comair, owner of Kulula and British Airways’ local routes, having operated in South Africa since 1946, recently applied for liquidation amid a severe cash crunch.

Others, though, have weathered the storm, exiting the post-lockdown starting blocks at pace, now with even more urgency to fill the capacity gap left by Comair’s exit.

FlySafair, although already holding the lion’s share of domestic seat capacity, according to data from the Centre for Aviation, has set its sights on the regional market. The low-cost carrier’s first journey beyond South Africa only launched in March, with twice-weekly flights from Johannesburg’s OR Tambo International Airport to the popular holiday destination of Mauritius.

Now, FlySafair wants to start flying to Zanzibar, Maputo, Lusaka, Livingstone, Gaborone, Seychelles, Victoria Falls, Bulawayo, Nairobi, and Luanda. The airline also wants to fly more frequently to Mauritius, according to a recently published Government Gazette referring to applications with South Africa’s International Air Services Council.

African Sun to Spruce Up Hotels

Tourism Growth Watch
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African Sun to Spruce Up Hotels

Listed hospitality group, African Sun Limited will commit a significant amount of capital this current financial year. This is towards sprucing the image of its hotels as it repositions itself for the anticipated tourism rebound.

The group has indicated one of its focus areas is enhancing guests’ experience and consolidating its market share. Troutbeck Resort needs an investment of US$1,8 million towards refurbishment works.

Troutbeck Resort is already under refurbishment. The exercise is expected to reposition the hotel. This will firmly establish the hotel as the hotel of choice in Nyanga.

Refurbishment of 47 rooms at The Victoria Falls Hotel is progressing well. The refurbishment is expected to be completed during the second quarter of the year.

According to the group, preparatory work to carry out the refurbishment of eight additional rooms at Great Zimbabwe. The work includes remedial works on the Hungwe Conference Centre. The work is at an advanced stage. The actual works are additionally scheduled to commence in this second quarter of the year.

Plans are currently underway to refurbish rooms at Hwange Safari Lodge. The mock-up rooms have started. The first phase of the project will target 60 rooms and is also expected to be completed in 2022.

The group experienced challenges emanating from the adverse impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. The pandemic resulted in travel restrictions across the globe.

But the group’s city and country hotel segment remains resilient in the face of the ravages of Covid-19 and remained the cornerstone of the hotel business.

IATA Launches IATA CO2 Connect in Support of Industry Sustainability Commitment

Miriro Matema
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IATA Launches IATA CO2 Connect in Support of Industry Sustainability Commitment

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has launched IATA CO2 Connect, an online tool which provides the most accurate CO2 emission calculations for any given commercial passenger flight. IATA CO2 Connect responds to the growing demand for CO2 data transparency linked to airline specific and actual fuel burn information and load factors. This sets it apart from theoretical data models that already exist on the market today.

IATA CO2 Connect is available to companies within and outside the travel-value-chain, such as travel management companies (TMCs), travel agencies, airlines or multinational corporations. They can access the relevant CO2 emissions data and integrate it in a customized manner into their existing flight booking tools. Travel managers or travelers can easily see the CO2 emissions per routing. The tool also permits the consolidation of data for reporting purposes.

IATA CO2 Connect utilizes the newly developed CO2 Calculation Methodology, adopted by IATA’s Passenger Service Conference in March this year. This was conceived by leading partners from 20 airlines and major aircraft manufacturers, in consultation with international standard-setting bodies and logistics services providers.

American Express Global Business Travel (Amex GBT), the world’s leading B2B travel platform, is IATA’s launch partner for CO2 Connect. The travel management company (TMC), which manages more than $40 billion in travel sales annually, undertakes to provide its customers with the most accurate and reliable flight emissions data, enabling travelers to make better informed booking decisions.

“Flying sustainably and cutting CO2 emissions is a top priority. The aviation sector is working to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 and travelers want to be more aware of their carbon footprint. With IATA CO2 Connect, individuals and corporate travel managers can get standardized accurate calculations to make the most sustainable choices for their air travel taking into consideration aircraft types, routings and class of service. Importantly, data can be consolidated for corporate reporting purposes,” said Frederic Leger, IATA’s Senior Vice President for Commercial Products & Services.

Companies interested in accessing IATA CO2 Connect can integrate the data into existing travel management solutions via Application Programing Interface (API) or flat file technology/format.

In contrast to many existing CO2 calculators, IATA CO2 Connect uses primary data from airlines. Emissions are calculated with the first industry-developed passenger CO2 Calculation Methodology which takes into account:

  • Guidance on fuel measurement, aligned with the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA)
  • Clearly defined scope to calculate CO2 emissions in relation to airlines’ flying activities
  • Guidance on non-CO2 related emissions and Radiative Forcing Index (RFI)
  • Weight based calculation principle: allocation of CO2 emission by passenger and belly cargo
  • Guidance on passenger weight, using actual and standard weight
  • Emissions Factor for conversion of jet fuel consumption to CO2, fully aligned with CORSIA
  • Cabin class weighting and multipliers to reflect different cabin configurations of airlines
  • Guidance on carbon offsets and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) as part of the CO2 calculation.

View the IATA CO2 CONNECT​ presentation

SAA and Discovery announce strategic partnership to provide airport lounge access for Discovery Bank clients

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SAA and Discovery announce strategic partnership to provide airport lounge access for Discovery Bank clients

Johannesburg, 20 June 2022 – Discovery and South African Airways (SAA) today announced a landmark partnership that will enable Discovery Bank clients to access SAA’s airport lounges, and also make SAA’s flight network available on the Vitality Travel platform.

With immediate effect, Discovery Bank Purple, Black and Platinum cardholders will be able to use their Discovery Bank app to access SAA’s airport lounges.

The long-term partnership will provide customers with access to refurbished lounges and upgraded service offerings at SAA’s Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban lounges.

Discovery Bank CEO Hylton Kallner explained that the partnership is a contribution to both government and the national carrier’s broader aims to revitalise operations through a public-private partnership while contributing to the tourism industry. “We are delighted to work with SAA to upgrade these iconic lounges. Along with our Priority Fast Track Lanes at the OR Tambo and Cape Town International Airports, Discovery Bank clients will now enjoy the best possible end-to-end travel experience. In fact, the comprehensive Vitality Travel suite of benefits ensures that our clients enjoy the best value and experience in travel – whether for business or leisure.”

“We are also excited that SAA flights will soon also be available on the Vitality Travel platform as part of our flight network, giving our clients more choice and value in terms of airlines and destinations, and extending our reach into the continent,” says Kallner.

SAA Interim Executive Chairman and CEO John Lamola say: “We appreciate the collaboration with Discovery and believe that this partnership will add to the customer experience when choosing SAA as your carrier of choice.  We are heading in the right direction, as this partnership is a win-win-win for SAA, Discovery and, most importantly, our customers.”

Discovery Bank clients and Voyager members can look forward to exciting enhancements

Discovery Vitality CEO Dinesh Govender says: “This is a milestone partnership which amplifies the Vitality Travel offering for Discovery Bank clients. Vitality members book over 1 million flights a year – enough to fill 10 planes a day – and airport lounges are a quintessential benefit for those who enjoy travel. Now, in addition to the 1,000+ Lounge Key airport lounges that our Discovery Bank clients have access to worldwide, they will also enjoy the exclusive, world-class experience that SAA lounges will deliver. While access to the lounges commences today, clients can look forward to exciting new menus and luxury amenities, as well as refurbishments to the facilities in the coming months.”

SAA Commercial Executive Simon Newton-Smith says: “This partnership allows customers to enjoy world-class facilities at SAA lounges and we are very much looking forward to welcoming Discovery clients.”

About South Africa Airways

South Africa Airways (SAA) began operations on 1 February 1934. SAA, is a leading carrier in Africa, serving regional destinations between Johannesburg and six African destinations – Accra, Kinshasa, Harare, Lusaka, Lagos, Mauritius and 2 domestic routes from Johannesburg to Cape Town and Durban.  SAA is a member of the largest international airline network, Star Alliance.  SAA’s core business is the provision of passenger airline and cargo transport services together with related services, which are provided through SAA and its wholly-owned subsidiaries: SAA Technical (SAAT), a world-class maintenance facility and Air Chefs, the catering entity of SAA. SAAT has particularly been successful in the delivery of high-quality maintenance services such as major airframe checks; engine overhauls; mechanical components; avionics and line maintenance. From its first flight in 1934, SAA welcomed the world to South Africa by showing off the warm generous heart of the country. The airline has more than 88 years of excellence and innovation to draw on.

About Discovery

Discovery Limited is a South African-founded financial services organisation that operates in the banking, healthcare, life insurance, short-term insurance, savings and investment, and wellness markets. Since its inception in 1992, Discovery has been guided by a clear core purpose – to make people healthier and to enhance and protect their lives. This has manifested in its globally recognised Vitality Shared-value Insurance model, active in over 35 markets with over 20 million members. The model is exported and scaled through the Global Vitality Network, an alliance of some of the largest insurers across key markets, including Asia-Pacific, Europe, North America and South America.

Discovery trades on the Johannesburg Securities Exchange as DSY. Discovery Group is the holding company of Vitality Group in the USA and of Vitality UK.

Global travel bookings surpass pre-pandemic levels

Aero Insights
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Global travel bookings surpass pre-pandemic levels

Global leisure and business flight bookings have surpassed pre-pandemic levels, while spending on cruise lines, buses and trains saw sharp improvements this year, according to a new report from Mastercard Economics Institute.

The new report, Travel 2022: Trends and Transitions, shows that not only have global leisure and business travel flight bookings surpassed pre-pandemic levels, and spending on cruise lines, bus trips and train travel has also recorded sharp improvements this year. The report delivers critical insights across 37 markets about the global state of travel in a post-vaccine and less restricted chapter of the pandemic era.

According to the MasterCard Economics Institute analysis, if flight booking trends continue at their current pace, an estimated 115 million more passengers in the Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa regions alone, will fly in 2022 compared with last year. The researchers analysed available travel data as well as aggregated sales activity in the MasterCard network.

Researchers found that the loosening of COVID-19 lockdown restrictions in most of the world, with the exception of parts of Asia-Pacific, had recalibrated the global tourism destination map in 2022.

The US, UK, Switzerland, Spain and the Netherlands are now the top destinations for tourists globally. For travellers from Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa, the United Kingdom has been the top choice destination in the ongoing recovery, with demand exceeding that for the US. 

European destinations make up most of the top ten destinations for travellers from Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa. 

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