FlySafair says it’s considering consolidating its Victoria Falls and Livingstone routes and upping its frequency on the Johannesburg-Harare routes.
Kirby Gordon, FlySafair’s Chief Marketing Officer, told Travel News that although Victoria Falls Airport and Livingstone’s Harry Mwanga Nkumbula International Airport are in two different countries, they are less than 40km apart and, despite some varying factors, largely service the same markets.
“Following feedback from a number of customers and partners, we are looking at the possibility of consolidating into one of the airports with a view to upping frequency into one rather than spreading effort across both,” said Gordon.
He explained that operating both routes may not be sustainable over the long term. However, the carrier has not made a final call yet.
Additionally, the carrier is considering increasing its flight frequency between OR Tambo International and Harare’s Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport.
According to a Simple Flying analyst, Johannesburg-Harare is the busiest international route in Southern Africa, with 70 weekly flights as of June.
FlySafair is currently operating at its full allocation but hopes to fly a second daily frequency on the route, Gordon told Travel News.
“Harare has proven to be a great route – we’ve enjoyed fantastic support for our lower fares on the route and see a strong business case to increase frequency. We have an application with the International Air Services Licensing Council for rights to fly another seven frequencies a week,” he explained.
Gordon emphasised that the potential changes are just considerations at this stage.