SAA has issued a trade release with the news it is starting Durban flights.

The airline said three flights a day between Johannesburg and Durban would commence from Friday March 4.

SAA Interim CEO, Thomas Kgokolo said the route was one of the busiest in South Africa and the national carrier had been guided by data in finding the right time to make the decision.

“SAA will make it easier for customers from across its growing Africa network to reach Durban on a single SAA ticket, and easier for Durbanites to conveniently connect on SAA to Accra, Harare, Kinshasa, Lagos, Lusaka and Mauritius services.”

Kgokolo said SAA had been back in service for just over three months and was constantly evaluating passenger volumes and revenue projections on all its existing and target routes.

“The goal is to match capacity with demand as closely as possible and add new routes only where and when it makes sense.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has radically changed the aviation industry the world over, requiring airlines to be nimble but deliberate with network plans. Our overriding remit is to make sure SAA becomes and remains a successful and profitable carrier in this constantly changing and highly competitive environment,” said Kgokolo.

Durban is considered the third point completing the South African airline industry’s ‘Golden Triangle’, which enables the flow of trade and commerce in the country. The other two are Johannesburg and Cape Town.

In the year 2019/2020, Durban’s King Shaka International Airport processed around three million passengers.