Tourism better in spite of SA Airways

STRATEGICALLY IMPORTANT: CLAIM NO LONGER VALID

With competitors’ flights filling the gaps, argument that national carrier is strategically important no longer stands.

Other airlines have filled the gaps, especially from Cape Town and Durban.

Government’s contention that South African Airways (SAA) is strategically important and a tourism enabler no longer stands. It operates 56 return flights each week between Johannesburg and London, New York, Washington, São Paulo, Frankfurt, Munich, Perth and Hong Kong.

Emirates operates the same number and British Airways (BA) will soon operate 38.

These aren’t apples-to-apples comparisons. Emirates flies an Airbus A380 on one of its four Johannesburg flights daily, while BA now flies two A380s a day between Heathrow and OR Tambo.

SAA’s long-haul planes seat 249 to 317 passengers. On the London route, its A330-300 seats 249. That’s 1 743 seats (to London) a week. The table compares this to Virgin Atlantic and BA’s offering.

Gulf and other hub carriers have also increased frequencies and added routes, mopping up demand while SAA shrinks.

SAA’s long-haul strategy seems to be premised on all flights operating from Johannesburg. However increasingly rivals are flying direct to Cape Town and Durban, further weakening SAA’s position.

Probably the biggest mistake made by SAA in its long-haul business was selling the Heathrow landing slot for its Cape Town-London flight in 2012.

With the direct options from Durban, there’s little reason to fly overseas via Johannesburg.

And from Cape Town, there’s practically no reason. The Western Cape’s Air Access initiative via agency Wesgro has been an astonishing success. There are direct flights from Cape Town to the UK, Germany, Switzerland, France, the Netherlands, Austria, Dubai, Turkey, Qatar and Hong Kong.

The new seasonal direct route to Hong Kong (Cathay Pacific) from Cape Town will put further pressure on SAA’s only Far East route.

SAA’s only real remaining stronghold – flights to African destinations – is increasingly under threat. Wesgro has also been successful in getting African airlines to fly directly to Cape Town, with flights from Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Rwanda, Angola, Namibia and Mauritius.

Airlink shuttles inbound tourists between Cape Town and the Kruger National Park. A decade ago, often the only option would be on SAA, via Johannesburg.

Government’s contention that SAA is strategically important and a tourism enabler no longer holds water. Tourist arrivals are increasing in spite of SAA, not because of it.