Air Europa could launch flights to South Africa after Spain’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) initiated a process to allocate traffic rights between the two countries.
The DGCA has made nine weekly frequencies available under third- and fourth-freedom rights. Interested airlines have 12 months to submit applications and operational proposals.
On October 21, Air Europa was granted rights to operate three weekly flights between Spain and South Africa once the relevant analysis and assessment of the project have been carried out.
Six weekly frequencies remain available for other carriers. However, Air Europa will have priority if multiple airlines express interest.
Several regulatory and operational steps still need to be completed before the route becomes a reality.
Carla Vickers from French and Italian Excursions believes direct flights to Spain could benefit South Africans. “I believe not only would it bring more traffic to Spain out of South Africa, but would be of great benefit to South Africans travelling to Portugal too.”
She said that competitive fares would be a factor for the route to succeed. “The fares would need to be really good to make the flights worthwhile, but I do believe it would be fantastic. Getting to your destination of choice without having to do a stop somewhere is always first choice,” said Vickers.
