Domestic airlines in South Africa say Port Elizabeth International Airport (PLZ) in Gqeberha is a critical cog in their expansion strategies, as calls from the tourism industry mount for more flight capacity to the destination.

In a poll conducted by Tourism Update in November, 82% of respondents identified a need for more flights to PLZ, which is a gateway to the popular Garden Route, the Wild Coast and various wildlife destinations including the Addo Elephant National Park and a number of private reserves.

SAA planned to restart flights from Johannesburg (JNB) to PLZ on December 12, but these were deferred to 2023 following delays in regulatory approval.

The key route between PLZ and JNB is currently serviced with nine daily flights, three each from FlySafair, Airlink and CemAir. Cape Town is serviced twice daily by FlySafair and once per day by Airlink, while the Durban route is covered twice daily by Airlink and once per day by FlySafair.

FlySafair ‘deeply invested’

FlySafair Chief Marketing Officer Kirby Gordon stressed the importance of Gqeberha as a destination, citing the airline’s increasing share of total seats flying to and from PLZ.

“Gqeberha is a market that we’re deeply invested in. Pre-COVID we were operating 18% of flights between JNB and PLZ, we now operate 40% of seats. Between Cape Town and PLZ, we’ve increased from 54% of available seats to 56%, and from 42% of available seats between Durban and PLZ to 58%.”

Gordon said the industry’s calls for more flights to PLZ were “not surprising at all”.

“The reality is that the market is still struggling with supply recovery and this is a phenomenon seen across all routes. Of course the other thing that plays into this is seasonality. So for example, Johannesburg to George flights for the December holidays sold out weeks ago and there is a similar push on flights to Gqeberha, but that will peter a bit once the holiday rush eases off,” said Gordon, adding that PLZ would be key to the airline’s growth plans.

“We’ve grown our capacity very significantly this year and are on a continued heavy push into 2023. And underserved routes will always present economic opportunities for airlines.”

Airlink eyes expansion

Airlink is also eyeing increased capacity to PLZ, according to Carla da Silva, the airline’s Executive Manager for Sales and Marketing. 

“We have earmarked additional flights that we will add to our service offering in due course,” she said.

Lack of flights pose barriers to entry

Lauren Gerber, Marketing Manager for Classic Portfolio, which operates lodges and villas within the Kwandwe Private Game Reserve, 157km from Gqeberha, said a lack of flight options was presenting a significant challenge to tour operators.

“The current biggest barrier to entry for safari companies based in the Eastern Cape is the lack of flight routes options that fit in with a typical safari stay (i.e. the flights are either too early or too late). We would love to see more flights from Cape Town as well,” said Gerber, who was encouraged by airlines acknowledging the potential for expansion of flight capacity.

“In order for the tourism industry to regain its feet post-pandemic, the airlines, lodges and hotels need to rely on each other to work together. We are slowly piecing the puzzle back together, and having consistent and reliable movements to and from Gqeberha would be a huge step in the right direction.”