By IANS,
New Delhi : South African Airways Thursday said it will increase its flight frequency between Johannesburg-Mumbai to five services a week effective June 16 from the current four operations.
“India presents an important market to South African Airways, and this increase in flight frequency is a step in the right direction to meet market expectations,” said Sajid Khan, country manager India, South African Airways.
“Recent economic developments are likely to have a positive impact on the business relationships between India and South Africa, and we foresee a growth in traffic between the two countries,” Khan said.
Interestingly, the airline’s move comes at a time when Indian airline major Jet Airways has suspended operations on the Mumbai-Johannesburg route from June 12.
According to the airline, the services will be operated on Airbus A330-200 aircraft which will offer 186 economy and 36 business class seats.
The airline also plans to add another flight service between Johannesburg-Mumbai from Aug 21, 2012. The services is subject to government approval.
The airline is also banking upon increase in tourism travel between the two countries. In 2011, South Africa saw a 26.2 percent increase in Indian visitors which numbered at 90,367 visitors.
The airline is also eyeing providing the fastest air route between India and South America. The airline said the flying time of its flights on the Mumbai-Johannesburg-Buenos Aires route will be around 22 hours and 35 minutes.