Lockdown curfew impacting on aviation and tourism industries

The latest curfew has not been welcomed by the tourism industry and could pose a threat to the aviation industry. Picture: Henk Kruger/African News Agency

The latest curfew has not been welcomed by the tourism industry and could pose a threat to the aviation industry. Picture: Henk Kruger/African News Agency

Published Dec 22, 2020

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Cape Town - The latest curfew announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa as part of tougher lockdown restrictions to curb the spread of the coronavirus has not been welcomed by the tourism industry and could pose a threat to the aviation industry.

Low-cost airline FlySafair said it would cancel some flights due to the new curfew times.

The airline’s chief marketing officer, Kirby Gordon, said: “We have cancelled around 30 of our airlines and this has a massive impact on our ability to generate revenue. We had to make a decision. The unfortunate thing is that we lose flight pairs because an aircraft has to return to home base for technical checks and to be present to start the next day of flying.

“For example, a flight from Joburg to PE may land at 8pm, which is well in time for the curfew, but because the return leg is compromised we have to lose the whole pair.”

Other airlines, such as Kulula.com and British Airways in South Africa, have also reported disruptions to flight schedules. The Province currently has 34 694 active Covid-19 infections with a total of 174 813 confirmed Covid-19 cases. Premier Alan Winde has urged residents to step up their precautionary measures going into the festive period.

Mayco member for economic opportunities and asset management James Vos said: “Many airlines have late flights and will be in contravention of the new Covid-19 regulations if the curfew is not reconsidered. This will cost many jobs and affect thousands of travel plans at a time when our economy cannot afford another setback.

“Failing which, for the airline industry to be exempted because currently, we are seeing large volumes of cancellations across domestic carriers that will have negative consequences for the entire aviation industry value chain.”

Vos said he has since written to the national government, pleading with them to reconsider the curfew. Following Ramaphosa’s announcement, dozens of flights have been cancelled last week due to reintroduced curfew.

“Airlift forms part of the City’s Tourism Development Framework to connect Cape Town with key destinations in the country and globally. Connecting Cape Town to more cities and countries translates into bums on seats and boxes in the belly. This means that we can welcome more visitors, create more jobs through tourism and also provide trade opportunities for Cape Town products as cargo,” said Vos.

In a statement yesterday, British Airways said: “We are operating at a reduced and dynamic capacity. This is due to the global travel restrictions. All our call centres have been experiencing high volumes of calls.”

The chief operating officer of Airports Company South Africa, Fundi Sithebe, said that despite the easing of lockdown restrictions travelling has been hard for some.

“For international travel, the change in level 1 regulations is most welcome and our international airports are geared to facilitate more passengers from other countries. However, we recognise that the countries that are our greatest sources of tourists are experiencing significant increases in Covid-19 infections and it may be challenging for people to travel from those countries.”

Premier Winde said: “We have received reports that some residents are still not following the advice and regulations set out to protect them and others. Please follow the advice we are giving to mitigate the strain on our health-care system and on our health workers, and more so, to save any potential loss of life or severe illness of a loved one. Our hospitals are becoming full, and we must all take heed of our personal responsibility to care for our fellow citizens and front line workers by doing everything we can to not spread Covid-19.”

Cape Town Tourism chief executive Enver Duminy said Cape Town International Airport has seen a domestic recovery of 49% over the first few weeks of December when compared to the same period last year, which is up by 9% since November.

“However, we noticed a change in the way that people have opted to travel this year. We conducted surveys and research throughout the year that showed that many people are opting to drive rather than fly or use other forms of public transportation. We are hoping that this continues and that even though some flights have been cancelled due to restrictions, many South Africans are looking at driving to the Mother City to enjoy a socially distanced, masked and safe summer holiday here,” he said.

Cape Argus