S. African airlines look to restart operations, see slow recovery: The Standard

Business
Airlink has started taking bookings on its website for flights from June 8, while Safair is taking bookings for flights resuming on June 15.

Two of South Africa’s biggest private airlines will start flying between local airports this month after the government eased lockdown restrictions aimed at containing coronavirus, but they said a recovery could take at least three years. Airlink has started taking bookings on its website for flights from June 8, while Safair is taking bookings for flights resuming on June 15. Low-cost state airline Mango, part of the South African Airways (SAA), plans to resume flights on June 15, but it is yet to get final approval from the Department of Public Enterprises, a company spokesman said. Amid a halt on operations for around two months due to the coronavirus lockdown, airlines have seen their revenues fall close to zero while continuing to spend money on aircraft maintenance, salaries and debt-service.

SEE ALSO: Court rules lockdown restrictions unconstitutional

Comair, another private airline, is under bankruptcy protection and only plans to restart operations around November. SAA is also under bankruptcy protection and has not yet said when it plans to restart flights. “We expect that demand will be quite thin,” said Kirby Gordon, spokesman for Safair, which will start operations across four airports - OR Tambo and Lanseria in Johannesburg, King Shaka in Durban and Cape Town International. Market share Gordon said Safair planned to fly around 25 per cent of its usual schedule, adding it expected its share of the market to be greater than normal given the temporary absence of other players, he said. Airlink is starting to operate from three airports - OR Tambo, King Shaka and Cape Town International. Airlink expects it will take more than four years for air travel to revert to pre-coronavirus levels, said Rodger Foster, its chief executive.

SEE ALSO: South African shoppers stock up on booze as sales resume

South Africans are only allowed to fly for business purposes under “level 3” of the country’s coronavirus lockdown, which entered force on June 1.