Airline postpones SA launch, again

MEGA Maldives Airlines,
which planned to
launch twice-weekly
flights between Malé and
Johannesburg in November last
year, has yet again postponed
services to SA, citing rand
instability as a deterrent.
The airline, which first
announced plans to launch
flights to South Africa in 2013,
postponed services citing
similar concerns at the time.
However, in September last
year, the carrier said it had
reconsidered the route, no
longer deterred by the weak
rand. “Given MEGA Maldives’
fleet growth and our route
network development, the
timing is right for us and we
believe it is right, too, for the
market. The current devaluation
of the rand has of course
not gone unnoticed by MEGA
Maldives but there are several
factors why it is still viable to
fly into this market,” the airline
said (see TNW September 23).
However, the airline has again
postponed its plans.
“We decided to postpone
the launch of the route to
Johannesburg for a variety of
reasons, including concerns
about currency stability and
allowing us more time to get
our airline on the GDS,”
says George Weinmann,
MEGA Maldives ceo.
He adds that the airline will
reconsider the launch of the
Johannesburg route “in due
course”. “It is certainly still in
our overall plans. Our goal is to
make the Johannesburg route
not only the best connection
to the Maldives but also to
be an outstanding and easy
one-stop connection to other
Asian markets such as India,
Thailand, Malaysia, and China.”
The airline will re-evaluate
the launch in its next planning
cycle, says George. “The
postponement is not
indefinite and it’s not entirely
based on the South African
economy, although a stable
currency and any economic
good news would certainly
be positive factors in our
consideration.”.