South African Airways launches flights to Kigali and Bujumbura

South African Airways launched flights to two more destinations on the African continent from Johannesburg to Kigali in Rwanda and onwards to Bujumbura in Burundi. This is in line with the airline’s Africa growth plans.

The flights will operate from Johannesburg to Kigali (Rwanda) and onwards to Bujumbura (Burundi). The return flights will operate from Bujumbura to Kigali and onwards to Johannesburg’s OR Tambo International airport. Travellers and freight on the Kigali-Bujumbura-Kigali sectors will allow for growth in the Great Lakes region of Central and Eastern Africa, thereby increasing intra-regional connectivity.

“South African Airways is focused on strengthening its intra-Africa network in line with its Africa Expansion strategy. Adding even more destinations to our already extensive Africa route network gives our customers more travel options to exciting destinations that were previously difficult to reach by air,” says Theunis Potgieter, SAA General Manager Commercial.

In addition to being the capital city of Rwanda, Kigali is also its economic, cultural and tourist transit hub. Bujumbura is Burundi’s capital and largest city and is close to the country’s main port, shipping coffee as its primary export. The route between Johannesburg to Kigali and onwards to Bujumbura will be serviced three times a week by SAA’s A319 aircraft which accommodate 120 passengers in a two class (business and economy) configuration. The flight is scheduled to connect with the rest of SAA’s African and international route network.

SAA to benefit as Air Zimbabwe faces bankruptcy

Workers at Air Zimbabwe have successfully won a high court application to have the airline placed under judicial management, which will now see its affairs handled by a judicial manager, Innocent Mavhunga, and not the airline’s board.

South African Airways (SAA) and Emirates are set to cash in on the woes that have gripped Zimbabwe’s state-owned airline, Air Zimbabwe, which yesterday was placed under judicial management because of a $140m debt.

Workers at the embattled airline successfully won a high court application to have the airline placed under judicial management, which will now see its affairs handled by a judicial manager, Innocent Mavhunga, and not the Air Zimbabwe board.

At the heart of the court intervention is a salary dispute between Air Zimbabwe and its workers, who claim to be owed more than $35m in outstanding salaries since June 2009.

Caleb Mucheche, a lawyer for the workers’ union, said: "Since the court has appointed a judicial manager it means this is a prelude to liquidation. The judicial manager will now move in and the current Air Zimbabwe board will have to step aside.

"The judicial manager will assess if Air Zimbabwe is still a viable entity, but as the way things stand, all is not well, and he is likely to recommend liquidation. That is the process. Whenever a judicial manager comes in, the next step is liquidation," Mr Mucheche said.

Air Zimbabwe has had to suspend several international and regional flights to Johannesburg and  London as its debt crisis ballooned and saw its flagship Boeing aircraft seized by creditors for nonpayment of services.

The threat of liquidation is certain to work in favour of SAA, which holds the lion’s share in the airline market in Zimbabwe, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe.

In 2010, SAA "accounted for the lion’s share of the airline market with 29,3%, relegating Air Zimbabwe to second position at 22,1%. British Airways-Comair came close on third position with 18,4%, while South African Airlink holds fourth position at 10,1%," reads a civil aviation authority report.

The United Arab Emirates-owned Emirates Airlines will start flights to Harare from February 1, in what is expected to start a return of international airlines to Zimbabwe after a 10-year hiatus.

More than 15 international airlines have pulled out of Zimbabwe, among them Lufthansa, Qantas, Austrian Airlines, Swissair, Air India, Air France and TAP Air Portugal.

South African Airways expands African routes

South African Airways has announced an expansion of its African routes into the Congo as well as a new international route to China. The SAA will launch services to Pointe Noire in the Congo from Jan. 26 and Beijing from Jan. 31.

Pointe Noire is the fourth new African destination this financial year. It joins Ndola, in Zambia; Kigali, in Rwanda; and Bujumbura, in Burundi.

South African Airways Adds Rwanda and Burundi to African Network

South African Airways (SAA), Africa’s most awarded airline, has added two more travel options to its African route network as part of the airline’s growth plans on the continent. Effective January 17, 2012, SAA will commence operations from Johannesburg to Kigali (Rwanda) and onwards to Bujumbura (Burundi). The return flights will operate from Bujumbura to Kigali and onwards to Johannesburg’s OR Tambo International Airport. These flights are now available for reservations in the Global Distribution System (GDS’s), through your travel agent, and via flysaa.com, the airline’s online website.

The new Kigali and Bujumbura flights have been conveniently timed to provide global connections via our Johannesburg hub and to SAA’s international network, including Africa, Asia, Europe, South America, North America and Australia.

“SAA is focused on strengthening its intra-Africa network in line with its Africa Expansion programme. Adding even more destinations to our already extensive Africa route network gives our customers more travel options to thriving destinations that were previously difficult to reach by air,” says Theunis Potgieter, SAA General Manager Commercial.

In addition to being the capital city of Rwanda, Kigali is also its economic, cultural and tourist transit hub. Bujumbura is Burundi’s capital and largest city and is close to the country’s main port, shipping coffee as its primary export.

The route between Johannesburg to Kigali and onwards to Bujumbura will be serviced three times a week by SAA’s state-of-the-art Airbus A319 aircraft, which is able to accommodate 120 passengers in a two class (business and economy) configuration.

SAA’s most recent addition to its African route network was the start of flights to Ndola, Zambia on October 2nd. The Ndola service is largely aligned to growth in demand from mining executives, especially those flying into South Africa from countries such as Australia.

Schedule for Johannesburg - Kigali - Bujumbura:
Flight SA088    
Operates Tuesday, Friday, Sunday
Departs Johannesburg at 13h00, arrives Kigali at 17h00

Flight SA088
Operates Tuesday, Friday, Sunday
Departs Kigali at 17h50, arrives Bujumbura at 18h40

Schedule for Bujumbura - Kigali - Johannesburg:        
Flight SA089
Operates Monday, Wednesday, Saturday
Departs Bujumbura at 07h50, arrives Kigali at 08h45

Flight SA089
Operates Monday, Wednesday, Saturday
Departs Kigali at 09h35, arrives Johannesburg at 13h35

SAA’s Africa route network:
Accra (Ghana); Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) (code share); Blantyre & Lilongwe (Malawi); Dar Es Salaam (Tanzania); Dakar (Senegal); Douala (Cameroon); Libreville (Gabon); Entebbe (Uganda); Kinshasa (DRC); Harare & Vic Falls (Zimbabwe); Luanda (Angola); Lusaka, Livingstone, Ndola (Zambia); Maputo (Mozambique); Mauritius; Nairobi (Kenya); Windhoek (Namibia).

Comair deals with baggage pilfering as problem gets ‘out of control’

Comair, which manages British Airways and Kulula.com in South Africa, says it is tackling the scourge of baggage theft head-on. This comes after SAA said baggage theft at OR Tambo International Airport was out of control, with more than a dozen bags being stolen every day.

Gidon Novick, the joint chief executive of Comair, said efforts to deal with baggage pilfering was yielding results. “Less than one per 5 000 bags carried on Comair flights is being pilfered,” Novick told IOL. This works out to .2 per 1 000 bags, which is less than the international average of .3 bags per 1 000.

Last month South African Airways (SAA) CEO Siza Mzimela said that “baggage theft remains very high and OR Tambo International is out of control”. She added that pilfering at South Africa’s other airports was also “very high”. SAA’s acting head of group corporate affairs, Dileseng Koetle, said that pilfering at OR Tambo was .6 bags per 1 000.

"How can we promote SA as a tourist destination if their first experience of the country is the loss of their luggage?" asked Greg Krumbock of the Democratic Alliance.

According to a report released by SITA several years ago, 98% of the 2.25 billion items of luggage checked in at the world’s airports arrive at the right time at the right place. But the remaining percentile still amounts to 42 million bags, passenger frustration and US$3.8 billion in fines.

The Airports Company of South Africa (ACSA) said it had been working hard to solve the problem, which has been on the decline over the past few years. ACSA head of communications Solomon Makgale, said there had been “a consistent improvement” in the situation for the past five years and the average number of bags pilfered at OR Tambo had dropped from 36 a day to 14 a day. Since January last year, 18 people at OR Tambo have had their access cards blacklisted after being caught pilfering luggage.

Makgale said that baggage theft happens in three main areas – within the baggage sorting system, on the way to the aircraft, and in the hold of the aircraft. Consequently, “ACSA has installed CCTV cameras which enable us to catch the criminals in the act,” in the sorting area. He recommended that airlines install CCTV cameras in the holds of their aircraft.

Novick said Comair had improved the baggage pilfering situation by physically monitoring baggage whilst it was at the airport and getting baggage handlers to wear thick gloves so they cannot feel the contents of the luggage. “If an irregularity is found, baggage handlers’…restroom and lockers are searched both at the departure and arrival airports,” Novick said. “Staff face disciplinary action and polygraph testing if warranted.”

“We will continue to take this zero tolerance approach with all loopholes tightly closed until pilfering is eradicated,” Novick told IOL.

Other airlines are also taking steps to mitigate the problem. British Airways said its team at OR Tambo has seen a decline in baggage damage and pilfering and that security guards were present when bags were being loaded and unloaded.

Mango spokesperson Hein Kaiser told IOL that “presently pilferage averages between 0.2% and 0.6% dependent on the time of year,” adding that “Mango continues to work with all role players including ACSA, the SA Police Service, our shareholder SAA, and other airlines among others toward a remedy.”