Ethiopian pulls the plug on Durban route – for now

ETHIOPIAN Airlines is
suspending operations to
Durban from August 1.
All passengers booked
on Durban flights
will be rerouted via
Johannesburg, to where
the airline operates
double-daily flights.
The airline cites
the ‘financial burden
incurred on the route
due to seasonal
demand fluctuation’
as the main reason for
suspending operations.
In a statement, the
airline said its planning
team was looking at the
possibility of seasonal
flights to Durban.
Dinesh Naidoo, group
operations director of
SWG, says Ethiopian’s
decision to suspend
the route will impact
heavily on travellers
from the region as the
airline offers the fastest
and most cost-effective
flights to Mumbai and
Tel Aviv from Durban.
Dinesh says travellers
will now probably opt
for Air Seychelles when
travelling to Mumbai.
However, according
to Hamish Erskine,
ceo of Dube Tradeport
Corporation, the
suspension of Ethiopian
Airlines’ flights will not
affect Durban as a
hub. “The three major
Gulf carriers, Emirates,
Turkish Airlines and Qatar
Airways, have traditionally
carried the majority
of passengers flying
directly into Durban.
With that, we expect a
slight shift back to the
flying patterns seen
just before Ethiopian
Airlines introduced its
service into Durban,
where passengers from
Europe, North America,
the Middle and Far East
were serviced by the
major Gulf carriers, while
passengers from North
Africa flew into Durban
through Johannesburg.”
Hamish adds that the
KwaZulu-Natal Route
Development Committee
continues its work to
actively pursue new
airlines from a number
of key regions that are
important to growing
both passenger and
cargo volumes from the
region.