Aviation
Fastjet shelves local launch
Fastjet would temporarily shelve plans to launch domestic routes in South Africa, the African budget airline backed by easyJet founder Stelios Haji-Ioannou said on Friday. It would instead focus on rolling out international flights from Tanzania. The start-up airline had been granted permission to launch international flights from Tanzania to South Africa, Zambia and Rwanda after receiving route approvals from the relevant governments under the bilateral air services agreements between Tanzania and the other countries. “We have taken the sensible decision to prioritise setting up these lucrative and high-profile routes… before turning our attention to launch the Fastjet brand [locally],” Ed Winter, Fastjet’s chief executive, said. – Reuters
Energy
Eskom’s unit 6 ‘nears output’
In its monthly projects update on Friday, Eskom said 116 000 tons of coal was already on site at its Medupi power station in preparation for the firing up of the first boiler. Medupi, whose six 794 megawatt units are under construction, has a deadline to start producing electricity from unit 6 by December. Eskom said this unit’s turbine connection was already in progress while coal and ash stockpiles as well as all related equipment were close to commissioning. Eskom anticipated starting the commissioning of unit 6 in August as it had already begun precommissioning tests on different systems. – Londiwe Buthelezi
Food
Burger King to grow in Africa
Burger King Worldwide plans to ramp up expansion in South Africa after opening its first restaurant in the country, it said recently. The group would enter other parts of the continent to take advantage of a growing middle class. The maker of the Whopper burger has partnered with Johannesburg-based Grand Parade Investments to set up Burger King South Africa and opened its first local outlet in Cape Town last month. That was 18 years after McDonald’s and 42 years after Yum Brands’ KFC opened in South Africa. Burger King would open 12 local branches next year to tap into the country’s huge fast-food market, Jaye Sinclair, the chief executive of Burger King SA, said this month. It would then expand in other African countries. – Bloomberg