South African low-cost airline, FlySafair, has announced another regional route to its line-up – Cape Town to Windhoek.
It’s the airline's first regional route out of the Mother City, and the twice-weekly flights commence on October 22. They will run on Tuesdays and Saturdays.
Kirby Gordon, Chief Marketing Officer of the airline said in a media release that FlySafair had been wanting to break into the Windhoek market for a while, but the barrier, until now, had been aircraft availability.
“Having an additional aircraft that we are basing in Cape Town is now enabling us to expand into the market with a competitive fare.”
He said the route had only recovered to about 83% of pre-COVID numbers and Gordon saw this as an opportunity, offering scope for FlySafair to make inroads and increase travel to the destination.
The airline said that typically, a ticket from Cape Town to Windhoek started at R5 000 (€253) and could cost as much as R9 000 (€455), if not more.
Gordon stressed that FlySafair would offer highly competitive pricing, with tickets starting at R1 800 (€91). He said prices like that would put Windhoek within reach for many travellers who previously didn’t have a budget-friendly option available. Tickets are already on sale.
The new route is opportune, coming ahead of the summer holidays. And Gordon sees it as a benefit for South Africans and Namibians wanting to visit family and friends and also for business travel between the two neighbouring countries.
“The new route will additionally cater for overseas travellers who are using Cape Town as a jumping off point to other African destinations,” he adds.
It makes a great deal of sense to make it easier and more affordable for local and international travellers to visit Namibia. As noted by the International Trade Administration, the country is a highly attractive tourist destination, offering natural attractions such as the Namib Desert, the oldest desert in the world; the Fish River Canyon, the Skeleton Coast with its extraordinary landscapes; and Etosha National Park, one of the largest game reserves in Africa.
Add to this the much-photographed Sossusvlei sand dunes and good road infrastructure, and it is not difficult to see why tourists gravitate towards it.
So far this year, FlySafair has opened several new routes for travellers, including direct flights from Cape Town and Johannesburg to the Kruger National Park, which offers local and international tourists greater access to one of South Africa’s most famous natural treasures.
“The Cape Town to Windhoek route expands that drive by giving travellers a more affordable way to venture further afield and avail themselves of the rich beauty that is abundant in one of our neighbouring countries,” said Gordon.
