FlySafair has announced its new route, which is set to connect Cape Town to the Kruger National Park (KNP).
The low-cost airline explained that its inaugural flight for this route is planned for April 2, this year, and that it will make use of FlySafair’s Boeing 737-800.
Tickets will start at R1 851 one way, with flights leaving Cape Town International Airport (CTIA) at 9am every Tuesday and Saturday, the airline explained.
This flight is then expected to land at KNP at around 11.30am, and the aircraft will then be turned around, taking off from Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport (KMIA) at 12.05pm and landing at approximately 2.50pm.
“FlySafair is starting the year strong with the announcement of its first new route for 2024.
“This strategic move aims to spread tourism to every corner of the country, unlocking the beauty and diversity of South Africa for both domestic and international travellers,” FlySafair said.
“This new route makes travelling between the two tourism hotspots more accessible for both local and international holidaymakers.”
It added that its new route came about as there are limited flights from The Mother City to KNP.
“Although flights to areas surrounding the Kruger National Park are readily available from Johannesburg, there are limited commercial flight options from Cape Town,” Kirby Gordon, chief marketing officer at FlySafair, said.
He added that Cape Town Tourism’s concerted efforts has resulted in the city experiencing a boom in popularity, particularly with international visitors.
“International tourism in the city has boomed, increasing by 76% between January and July last year,” Gordon said.
He said that during the festive season, the number of visitors to the city exceeded pre-Covid levels, with officials recording 317 000 international tourists passing through Cape Town’s main airport with two-way tickets.
“Local travel to the Mother City has also grown and in the first six months of 2023 alone, Cape Town saw 3,2 million domestic two-way passengers pass through Cape Town International Airport, representing a 9% year-on-year growth.
“As a result, many of the local tourist attractions have seen drastic increases in the number of visitors.”
Gordon added that the addition of more capacity and a low-cost carrier to the route between CTIA and KMIA offers an exciting opportunity to spread the tourism success currently being experienced in Cape Town to other attractions across the country.
“The Kruger National Park is one of the most spectacular and unique tourist attractions South Africa has to offer,” he said.
“Beyond acting as an important source of income for surrounding communities, it also plays an important role in preserving our country’s biodiversity and wildlife heritage.”
He also believes that growing this route will encourage international tourists and Cape Town locals to extend their holidays to include a visit to the iconic KNP.
“This is likely to have a marked positive effect on overall tourism in South Africa,” Gordon said.
He added that while Cape Town and KNP are two of South Africa’s most popular tourist destinations, they are located in opposite corners of our country, making travel between them both inconvenient and costly.
“We hope that by introducing our low-cost option to the market, we can encourage more tourists to build a visit to Kruger into their trip itineraries, while also opening this gem to the people of the Western Cape.”