Opening up the destination

ALTHOUGH Airlink’s current focus
is on the JNB-NOS route, the airline
has revealed that the possibility
of introducing other routes into
Madagascar is on the cards.
“The MOU signed on Sunday March
20 between the Madagascar Ministry
of Tourism, Transport and Meteorology
and SA Airlink, witnessed by the
SA Ambassador to Madagascar,
will facilitate Airlink participating in
domestic markets within Madagascar
by way of a joint venture with a
Malagasy partner airline business,”
says Airlink’s Rodger Foster.
Airlink currently operates a daily
flight that departs Johannesburg at
10h00 and arrives in Antananarivo
at 14h10. It has been allocated
additional frequencies on the route,
which it intends to activate to
ultimately increase the service to
two flights daily. The existing flight
times will remain unchanged. The
second flight will depart Johannesburg
in the early afternoon and leave
Antananarivo for Johannesburg
mid-morning. “A start date for the
additional flights has not yet been
established – this will be determined
to coincide with the commencement
of domestic services that will
be operated by the joint venture
business,” said Rodger.
The tourism authorities in
Madagascar have also expressed
a desire to connect other tourist
destinations such as Diego Suarez
and St Marie with Johannesburg.
However, the airline has yet to
commit to introducing this triangular
service (Johannesburg-Diego SuarezSt
Marie) and/or other possible flights
to destinations within Madagascar.
“Airlink will need to understand the
travel market between these points
prior to making a commitment to
service routes beyond Nosy Be at this
stage, however we will examine the
data that we have been presented
with and investigate the request
further,” said Rodger.