Air China has cancelled the launch of its much-anticipated direct flights to South Africa.

Trudy Pietersen of Acsa told Tourism Update the airline cancelled its slots for the season running from August 31 to October 23. “Hopefully, they will reapply for the new season, commencing end October 2015,” she said.

This is the second time the carrier has delayed the launch of its direct service from Beijing to Johannesburg. The airline had first announced a March launch of its operations to South Africa, which was then postponed to August 30.

According to a reliable source, who wished to remain anonymous, the airline cited safety and security concerns following recent xenophobic attacks in South Africa as well as SA’s new onerous visa regulations as a deterrent, which, the airline feared, would impact on its revenue on the route.

“It’s a natural response to the lunacy of our new visa requirements,” said David Frost, CEO SATSA. He added that once the new Victoria Falls Airport would be completed, we could expect a massive shift of international travellers away from South Africa to Victoria Falls for travel into Africa. “We’ll all know who we can thank when this will happen. Thank you Minister Gigaba for driving away international travellers from South Africa!” he said.