Durban — The CEO of the new airline which was launched on Wednesday at King Shaka International airport (KSIA), Jonathan Ayache, said Lift airline will bring back the spirit of hospitality in the aviation industry.
Ayache said Lift entered the market at a time when the industry was recovering from the Covid-19 shutdown. He said they wanted to bring a different airline, one that was customer centric and had complete flexibility.
There was a premium because the airline didn’t charge for cancellation and change of flights.
“If you love your coffee you will get it while boarding,” he said.
Ayache said their team was a mix of highly experienced people in the industry and young people.
He believes that this will bring about the innovations needed. He said they have managed to employ over 200 people.
“We have a pet-friendly flight and over a period of time we will add two more aircraft,” he said.
The chairperson of Dube Tradeport, Mpumelelo Zikalala, said the month of October could be referred to as Mfumfu, which means the month of emerging things.
Zikalala said it was fitting that people were going to receive an airline which would increase flights between Johannesburg and Durban.
Zikalala said as of June 2022, KSIA volumes recovered to 56% of the pre-pandemic levels. The KSIA was one of the fastest growing international airports in South Africa, with the majority of traffic driven by leisure as well as people visiting their friends or family.
“Domestic travel has played a significant role in driving this particular growth,” she said.
The mayor of eThekwini, Mxolisi Kaunda, said the Durban route was strategic and congratulated the Lift team for employing many young people.
“It is significant that this event is taking place in this month of transport. This launch came at a better time as it is in line with our government spend of investing in traffic infrastructure to promote and stimulate economic growth.
“More importantly, it is good for the customers because of competition – they stand to benefit from the resultant low prices, improved quality of services and the ability to choose,” he said.
Daily News