In what can be seen as a game-changer for the local tourism industry in Mauritius and reinventing travel in the new normal, South African airline FlySafair launched its first inaugural flight which landed at the SSR International Airport on March 8 at 15.05 pm.
Being a low-cost and competitive airline, FlySafair has never been shy in terms of innovating, and it has now launched two weekly flights every Tuesday and Saturday between Mauritius and South Africa. To celebrate the inaugural flight, an event was held at the SSR International airport in the presence of FlySafair Chief Marketing Officer and Non-Executive Board Member Mr Kirby Gordon, Deputy Prime Minister and Tourism Minister Hon. Steve Obeegadoo and Chairman of MTPA Mr. Nilen Vencadasmy, among the distinguished guests.
In his speech, Gordon remarked that FlySafair operated the first flight on October 16, 2014 in South Africa to provide air service solutions for easy use but most importantly is to arrive on time. He added, “In a span of seven short years, we have been able to achieve a much bigger operation in terms of growth having started with 2 aircraft and now we are operating around 100 flights a day. We represent around 43 percent of the domestic seat capacity in South Africa.”
He outlined the airline’s main achievements, such as FlySafair being named as the most on-time airline globally for the third consecutive time by the aviation data company OAG, Best Low-Cost Carrier for the Africa and Indian Ocean Island region by the TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice Award for the third consecutive year running while the South Africa Civil Aviation Excellence Award has conferred the Aviation Company of the Year Award held before the COVID 19 pandemic.
Gordon explained, “The wonderful island will be served by the Boeing 737, considered as the most popular aircraft in modern aviation boasting of full economy seat configuration chartering 185 passengers to Mauritius in true low-cost fashion in offering a basic fare at R3,950 representing Rs 11,000 one-way fare.” He also announced the introduction of a promotional offer at R 2,300 which translates to around Rs 6,500 in terms of local Mauritian currency.
He further outlined, “In South Africa, we are well known to offer open-air travel facilities to a large number of people and to the previously economically excluded where during our first three years of inception, 12 to 15 percent of our passengers were first-time flyers. During the launch of FlySafair in 2014, prices on some of the chartered routes in South Africa have dropped by 52 percent.”
Bolt Home Mauritius is an affiliate partner of FlySafair on the ground in Mauritius. Bolt Home Mauritius is uniquely positioned to support FlySafair, having built an ecosystem of network partners and communities in South Africa and Mauritius. Through the use of best-in-class technology, which includes their Mobile App and interactive website, they are best positioned to build awareness of the new cost-effective travel options on offer by FlySafair.
Elizabeth Keeve, Managing Partner at Bolt Home Mauritius said: “Through this partnership, we look forward to creating awareness of FlySafair’s offerings that provide travellers the opportunity to enjoy either Mauritius’ sandy beaches and translucent waters or South Africa’s wildlife, safari and adventure; or simply to meet up with family, friends or colleagues who may have been separated due to the pandemic.”
Deputy Prime Minister and Tourism Minister Louis Steven Obeegadoo highlighted that the decision of FlySafair to fly to Mauritius comes at a critical juncture for the economy and the tourism sector that witnessed the worst recession in 2020 with a 15 percent contraction. He said: “The Finance Minister has set a growth target above 6 percent for this year where the tourism sector is deemed as a crucial equation in the coming year.”
The DPM recalled that in the year 2019, before the COVID 19 pandemic struck, there were more than 1.3 million tourists visiting the island which generated more than 100,000 direct and indirect jobs for the population. He emphasised the fact that during the period falling between 2010 and 2018, the tourism footfall shot up from 80,000 to more than 128,000, showcasing 45 percent growth hailing from South Africa. “The island represents a growth market as correctly identified by FlySafair and at our level, the objective is to return to the path of growth in the pre-pandemic era after two years of havoc,” he highlighted.
Obeegadoo went on to add that, “South Africa remains key to our economic recovery and air connectivity is of critical importance to get back to where we were at the pre-pandemic level. Earlier, three airlines were linking Mauritius to South Africa namely, Air Mauritius, South African Airlines, and Comair offering together 11 weekly flights with now FlySafair coming as the fourth carrier with two additional weekly flights leading to 13 flights.”
The DPM remarked that the new carrier, which boasts 21 aircrafts and a low-cost facility, had offered services solely in South Africa and had now chosen Mauritius as its first international destination. “I laud the airline company for choosing Mauritius and on our side, we are sparing no effort to meet all stakeholders, such as tourism operators in South Africa, in flying back to the local shores taking into account that there is already a large South African expat community on the island. The fact that the destination has been chosen is a testimony of a very strong connect between both countries that will go a long way to leverage a successful partnership encompassing benefits to the tourism industry.”
On a concluding note, Obeegadoo underlined that between February 2020 before closing the borders and February 2022, the rate of recovery for South Africa is now at 65 percent, accounting for two-thirds, which is a remarkable achievement considering that the borders were re-opened only in October 2021.
