Airports Company South Africa is turning its attention towards China and India to redevelop its international traffic and connectivity.

Acsa’s Acting Group Manager for Traffic Development, Mpho Rambau, told Business Report that although the domestic aviation market contributes a large amount to Acsa's traffic, its revenue generation is inferior to that of the international sector. This creates urgency to recover international traffic, which generates the majority of Acsa's aeronautical revenue.

As a result, Acsa is communicating with Indian and Chinese airlines to improve its traffic and international connectivity.

Rambau told Tourism Update that India was the biggest market for South Africa that was not served by a direct service.

Despite no direct flights between South Africa and India since SAA discontinued its route in 2015, the India-South Africa air travel market had recovered to 83% of its pre-pandemic levels, he said.

Of the total South Africa-India traffic, 37% is outbound. Currently, 52% of the traffic between India and South Africa connects through Middle Eastern hubs such as Dubai, Doha and Abu Dhabi, while 41% of these pax connect through East African hubs like Addis Ababa and Nairobi.

Rambau told Travel News the most in-demand routes, despite no direct flights, include:

• Johannesburg-Mumbai
• Cape Town-Mumbai
• Durban-Mumbai
• Johannesburg-Delhi
• Cape Town-Delhi

Concerning the China-South Africa market, Rambau said although there were some direct routes, the market had only recovered to a third of its former numbers.

Currently, there are only seven direct weekly frequencies between South Africa and China, compared with around 20 a week, pre-pandemic. These flights represent 35% of the pre-pandemic capacity between the two countries.

According to Rambau, the routes most in demand between South Africa and China are:

• Shanghai-Johannesburg (no direct service)
• Shenzhen-Johannesburg (operated by Air China)
• Hong Kong-Johannesburg (operated by Cathay Pacific)
• Beijing-Johannesburg (operated by Air China)
• Guangzhou-Johannesburg (no direct service)
• Hong Kong-Cape Town (no direct service)

Rambau says the discussions between Acsa and Indian and Chinese airlines are varied – some are in their infancy and others at moderately advanced stages.

"We have seen airlines taking interest in operating to Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban directly. Interest from the airline industry is generally guided by factors such as potential profitability, market demand, operational feasibility, and the strategic fit of a route."

Traffic development and network planning professionals are assessing passenger traffic data, travel trends, and demographics to gauge the demand for specific routes.

"Our expectation is to have positive developments in both the India and China market within the next three to five years," says Rambau.