OVER the next few months airlines are expected to be vying for rights to introduce flights to Angola following the recent Bilateral Air Services Agreement concluded between South African and Angolan authorities.
Vuwani Ndwamato, director: air transport for the SA Department of Transport, says there are a number of airlines interested in the destination and that he expects to receive applications very soon. New carriers on the route will be made possible by its becoming a multiple designator route.
Ndwamato explains that through previous correspondence seven passenger frequencies were agreed to, but the BASA has increased this to 10 per week. Cargo flights have also been increased from three to 10 per week. The BASA also sees the introduction of a liberal codeshare framework allowing airlines to enter into commercial agreements with one another.
Stuart Cochrane, executive manager: sales and route development for Comair, says Angola is a destination the airline has been interested in for some time but was not able to introduce flights because of the route being so restricted. Cochrane says now that the additional frequencies are available and it is a multiple designator route, Comair will “most definitely” be applying for rights to operate to Angola. He says the route is commercially viable for the airline and will target the corporate traveller. Comair also already has suitable aircraft (B737-400s) for the route, says Stuart.
1time has confirmed to TravelHub that it is also interested in launching flights to Angola.
TAAG, says commercial adviser, Pierre Sauveur, has just increased its frequencies between Luanda and Johannesburg from five to seven per week, so there are no immediate plans to further increase its services. He says the airline is still digesting this increase and looking at the market and traffic on the route. Sauveur says he expects more operators from the South African side on the route following the BASA outcomes, so TAAG would first look at whether there was still demand for additional flights.
TAAG, says Sauveur, will also look at the possibilities of using other entry points, but he says the biggest challenge is that there is only one international airport in Angola that can accommodate flights from South Africa. He says the expectation is that the route will open up progressively and that two other airports could operate as international airports later this year.
