The International Air Services Council has awarded FlySafair the rights to operate routes between Johannesburg and Windhoek, Harare, and Zanzibar. This was after the airline submitted an application in late June of 2022. The airline was also awarded five additional frequencies on its recently launched Mauritius route, meaning that the airline could potentially offer daily flights.
Source: Supplied
"We are thrilled to have received this news," says Kirby Gordon, chief marketing officer at FlySafair. "We’ve already begun laying the groundwork in several of our target countries and are in discussions with various parties including civil aviation authorities to get these new routes up and running as soon as possible."
Once all permissions and logistical considerations have been resolved, FlySafair will be able to offer daily flights from Johannesburg to Windhoek and Harare from Johannesburg and Cape Town respectively.
The airline has undergone a period of rapid growth over the past 10 months, adding a number of new aircraft to its operating fleet and hiring many new staff members to accommodate this expansion. The airline is poised to add three aircraft to its schedule before the end of March and these will ultimately be used to operate these new routes.
Schedules for these two destinations are likely to be available by Q3 of 2023. However, the airline has revealed that the route to Zanzibar, is likely to be available sooner thanks to an existing charter arrangement.
"Translating this existing chartered operation into a scheduled operation should be a fairly quick process allowing us to release schedules as early as Q2. It is always exciting introducing new routes. We look forward to offering our low fares to these additional routes, and to forging stronger links with our neighbours."