Touchdown at George Airport greeted with much joy
A CemAir 78-seater passenger plane was the first plane to land at George Airport since the start of lockdown in March.
The aircraft, carrying 35 passengers, arrived from OR Tambo International in Johannesburg at approximately 13:30 on Friday 24 July, and departed shortly afterwards with 28 passengers.
For the pilot, Hendrik van den Berg, it was not an ordinary flight. “It was very special to be part of the occasion. The flight to George was amazing. I’ve done it many times before, but somehow this time was different,” he said. Having done a couple of passenger flights since airports in South Africa reopened, Van den Berg says passengers seem very happy to get to places that where difficult to reach the last couple of months. “It’s as if they’re being freed after being caged for months.”
The airline’s national sales and marketing manager, Shaniel Singh, said they expect to operate four flights per week with an increased schedule once Covid-19 travel restrictions have been lifted. “We were delighted to be the first scheduled flight returning to George after almost four months,” he said.
“The region has always been an important part of our network and we look forward to growing the Johannesburg and Cape Town services as South Africa emerges from the devastating effects of the travel restrictions. We encourage passengers to have confidence in airlines as the industry remains key to the economic recovery of the region and the country.”
Shortly after their departure, George Airport manager Brenda Vorster said that their team was very excited to welcome their first passengers. “We look forward to welcoming more passengers as more airlines start operating.
“The first CemAir flight had 35 passengers coming in and 28 passengers went back to Johannesburg on Friday afternoon,” she said.
It was very special to be part of the occasion. The flight to George was amazing.