CAPE TOWN (ANA) - British Airways, operated by Comair in South Africa, has announced on Friday the reopening of bookings for flights between Johannesburg and Victoria Falls for travel starting on May 13.
“We are delighted to reopen bookings for our services to Victoria Falls as part of the gradual return to our normal schedule. The reopening of the route is also just in time for customers to experience Victoria Falls during its peak tourist season when the entire length of the Victoria Falls is a thundering wall of falling water from May through to August,” executive of revenue at British Airways Desmond O’Connor said in a statement.
Bookings for the regional route are open from today (Friday). As part of the airline’s ramp-up, it will operate two flights between Johannesburg and Victoria Falls for the duration of May, which will be on Thursday and Sunday, the airline said.
Thereafter, from June 1, customers can expect to have daily flights to and from the popular tourist destination.
“We anticipate that the reopening of this route will give our customers even more choice with the current holiday destination restrictions in place and that it will be well-received by corporate and leisure travellers for a break outside of South Africa,” O’Connor said.
“We will soon also reintroduce holiday packages through our tour-operating divisions filled with limitless adventure activities, some of which include swimming in the famous Devil’s Pool, white-water rafting, kayaking, bungee jumping, zip lining, plus amazing safari experiences in the nearby national parks, as well as sunset boat cruises on the upper stretches of the Zambezi River.”
A majority of African airlines resumed operations last August, having been grounded for months due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which saw the airline industry incur a collective financial loss of around US$370 billion, according to the United Nations.
A January report by the UN’s air transportation agency said there had been a “dramatic” fall in international air travel of around 60% over the course of last year due to the pandemic, to levels last seen in 2003.
As African countries began to reopen borders and airspaces last year, the World Health Organization (WHO) said it was crucial that governments take effective measures to mitigate the risk of a surge in infections due to the resumption of commercial flights and airport operations.
It said many African governments had acted swiftly, implementing confinement and travel restrictions in the early days of the pandemic.
BUSINESS REPORT ONLINE