Putting the Multichoice decline in context
Lindsey Schutters
SAA expands African routes with increased flight frequencies
South African Airways (SAA) has announced plans to increase flight frequencies to key African destinations starting in November 2024. The airline will expand its services to Harare and Lusaka to 12 flights per week, up from 10 and 7 weekly flights, respectively. Flights to Lagos and Accra will increase from three to four times a week.
Source: Julian Herzog via Wikimedia Commons
In addition, SAA will increase its flights to Mauritius to twice daily from the beginning of December, coinciding with the peak holiday season, followed by additional services to Perth in January 2025, taking the total to five weekly flights.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the airline will enhance its presence by flying five times a week to Kinshasa. Domestically, SAA will increase its flights to Gqeberha to three times a day.
Connecting Africa
SAA’s Interim CEO, Professor John Lamola, highlighted that after a rapid route expansion since 2021, SAA aims to consolidate its position and strengthen its role in connecting Africa.
"South Africa has seen a promising travel recovery this year, with most visitors coming from other parts of the African continent. Our strategic growth focuses on expanding routes based on demand and feasibility.
"We are also guided by our unique mandate as a national carrier, to ensure that we help grow South Africa’s economy. Air travel plays a key role in building our tourism and trade links across Africa, which benefits both South Africa and the continent as a whole," Lamola said.
