As South Africa draws nearer to establishing a long-awaited direct flight between Mumbai and Johannesburg, ACSA has confirmed that its medium- to long-term strategy is to have all three of the country’s major international airports connected to India.
Following delays due to aircraft shortages, SAA is aiming to resume operations to India in 2026 after a more than 10-year hiatus.
Mpho Rambau, ACSA’s Acting Group Manager for Traffic Development, told Tourism Update tangible progress has been made in building the value proposition for airlines to launch a direct service.
“We have presented the business case to multiple carriers and are in advanced stages of dialogue with select partners,” said Rambau. “We have undertaken in-depth market studies, including traffic flow and passenger demand analysis, to demonstrate the commercial viability. This data-driven approach has been key in building the business case for airlines.”
The bilateral agreement between South Africa and India has a capacity allocation of 28 weekly frequencies on a reciprocal basis – “more than enough” to serve current demand of over 126 000 annual passengers, said Rambau. ACSA has worked alongside the Department of Transport to ensure the regulatory framework supports the direct connection, he added.
“As such, there are little to no policy, regulatory or operational constraints that challenge the operationalisation of the route,” Rambau said.
While the Mumbai-Johannesburg route is the main target – as 58% of air traffic between the two countries either originates from or is destined for Johannesburg – ACSA is also targeting connections between Mumbai and Durban and Cape Town.
“Our medium- to long-term strategy for India is to have all three routes connecting Mumbai to Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban. Delhi-Johannesburg is one of our long-term targets owing to strong demand for air travel and trade,” said Rambau.
In December last year, Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille led a delegation (including SAA representatives) on a trade mission to advocate for a direct connection with one of India’s major cities. Additional discussions were held with India Air, IndiGo and SpiceJet.
Gcobani Mancotywa, SA Tourism’s General Manager for Asia, Australasia and the Middle East, said the launch of a direct flight aligns with the DMO’s growth ambitions for the Indian market.
India is one of SA Tourism’s 15 overseas priority growth markets and was the country’s seventh-largest overseas source market between January and July this year, accounting for just over 42 600 arrivals. The market’s recovery still lingers at just 73% of pre-COVID 2019 figures.
The country is seeking to grow annual arrivals from the Asian powerhouse by at least 5.7% per year to over 133 000 by 2030.
The City of Cape Town has actively joined efforts to secure a direct flight. In March, Cape Town’s MMC for Economic Development James Vos met with airline executives, government leaders and tour operators to make a case for the city.
“We’ve been running campaigns in India, building partnerships with tourism companies and making sure we prepare Cape Town as a destination with a strong business case. But, ultimately, these things take time. It depends on aircraft availability and securing the right slots,” Vos told Tourism Update.
“I can tell you that the discussions are ongoing, the interest is real and we’ll continue to put our full weight behind securing this direct route.”
Mancotywa said the SA Tourism India office supported the lobbying for a direct flight with a number of trade, consumer marketing and digital storytelling initiatives.
“We will roll out our four-city roadshow in the fourth quarter of this year, offering exhibitors direct access to the Indian travel fraternity. This remains one of the most effective platforms for connecting directly with buyers and expanding partnerships across the value chain.”
