IN ITS MAY INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL Report, IATA notes that airlines based in Africa experienced a 91.8% year on year growth rate in their international RPKs in March.
Together with Asia, Africa’s international RPKs lag more than the other regions in terms of recovery to pre-pandemic levels, which are currently still half of what they were in March 2019.
Air travel demand is restricted by Africa’s low vaccination rates as well as rising inflation. Africa accounts for just 1.9% of the total global passenger air travel market and given its slow recovery, this share is likely to decline even further. It is therefore not surprising that that the larger international carriers are quickly moving into the space left by the African carriers. Most noticeably United Airlines is aggressively expanding into Africa.
United already operates direct flights from the USA to four cities in three countries in Africa. The American carrier’s latest expansion has been at the expense of a still moribund SAA, as United has announced direct flights from Washington to Cape Town. This bypasses and thus further marginalises SAA’s Johannesburg hub.
It is noteworthy that United only has to obtain approval from the United States Department of Transport for the thrice weekly nonstop flights between Washington and Cape Town. The airline has thus been able to bypass the log jammed South African International Air Services Licensing Council.
‘Cape Town is the key hub for Southern African tourism’
Wesgro’s Cape Air Access Initiative is to be congratulated on promoting flights to Cape Town, which is a natural stepping-off point for the ultra-long haul flights to the USA. Cape Town is rapidly cementing its position as the key hub for Southern African tourism, thanks in large part to the huge improvements in connectivity created by initiatives such as the Cape Air Access initiative. And of course, it has a major geographical advantage thanks to its sea level altitude.
Another beneficiary of this new route will be regional powerhouse airline Airlink, which is United’s partner in Southern Africa and this will enable the Cape Town flights to correct connect seamlessly with more than 50 destinations across Southern Africa. In particular, it will connect tourists directly from the Cape to the Greater Kruger Park game reserves.
In this issue I also explore the problems the South African government is having the strategic equity partner deal for SAA finalised. This must also be due in part to the seeming impossibility of the task of being able to make SAA competitive once again.
SAA has had its lunch most thoroughly eaten during the eight wasted Zuma years of state capture under Dudu Myeni and the task of the airline ever being able to make up the ground it has lost to the mega international carriers must be seen as impossible.
