FlySafair revealed that their new aircraft "will help to increase capacity and hopefully push fares down a bit."
The company welcomed the Boeing 737-800 Next-Generation aircraft, which touched down at OR Tambo International Airport on Thursday last week, and a second aircraft is due later this month.
FlySafair revealed the airline has been increasing capacity since restarting operations in June this year. These new arrivals will allow to increase capacity as demand for local travel grows.
FlySafair's Kirby Gordon said the new aircraft, already painted in the company colours, will begin operations as soon as registration requirements are processed by the South African Civil Aviation Authority.
A beautiful new addition to our fleet. Can’t wait to see her take to take the skies 😍#b737800 #b737lovers #flysafair #flysafairmagic #aviation #fortheloveofflying #avgeeks #southafrica pic.twitter.com/v8Bt2IvYQh
— FlySafair (@FlySafair) October 6, 2020
“This new addition will help to increase capacity and hopefully push fares down a bit. We’ve been holding the mantle for a while now and it’s important that we get more capacity into the market through our own expansion, and through the return of competitors. Our economy needs lots of affordable air access as a catalyst for recovery," he said.
Last week the International Air Transport Association (IATA), published new statistics that indicated that 4.5 million African jobs will be lost in aviation and aviation-related industries thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic. This accounts for well over half of the 7.7 million jobs in the sector.
“Now’s a great time to look to expand your fleet, if you’re in a position to do so because with the industry being where it is, there are plenty of aircraft up for grabs at very reasonable prices," said Gordon.
According to The Center for Aviation (CAPA), capacity in South Africa is down about 70 percent from this time last year, and that upwards of 74 percent of the seats available on the local market is being operated by FlySafair.
“It was important to us that we got our operations going as soon as it was feasible to do so, especially as it was clear that there was not going to be any state support for our sector. We’re also in the fortunate position where we perform all our own maintenance, so there’s been no reliance on possibly unstable third parties in that regard," he said.