Airlink has temporarily cancelled its Johannesburg-Durban route, citing short-term unsustainability, and is focusing on the imminent resumption of other domestic routes.
“We have found travellers reticent to immediately return to the skies and this, paired with an influx of supply from Mango and FlySafair on the Johannesburg-Durban route, has meant that the route is not sustainable for us in the short-term,” says ceo and md of Airlink, Rodger Foster.
“As Airlink offers a premium, lower density in-flight experience, we see us playing a key long-term role on both the Johannesburg-Durban and Johannesburg-Cape Town trunk routes, particularly during peak traffic periods. However, until the market returns to some form of normality and we are able to cover our direct variables, it is currently not viable for us.”
The industry has been lobbying government to urgently ease travel restrictions, says Rodger. He expects an imminent reopening of other airports for domestic flights, based on the proviso that they are able to demonstrate to government that they can mitigate the risk of COVID-19 infections. Rodger says he is also hopeful that international borders will reopen by September 1, if not sooner.
Therefore, Airlink is refocusing its efforts in anticipation of being able to move forward with its Phase 2 and Phase 3 route relaunches, which it hopes to be able to resume concurrently. The airline is planning for the imminent relaunch of flights to Bloemfontein, Nelspruit, Polokwane, Kimberley, Upington, Umtata, Pietermaritzburg, Richard’s Bay, George, Port Elizabeth and East London.
“It is our belief that air travel and hospitality are necessary for the sustainability of our economy. The longer the industry remains closed, the higher the chance of a collapse,” says Rodger.
