Direct flights to South Africa from Australia are back, and so is demand

South African Airways is back in the skies, reconnecting Perth and Johannesburg and opening the door for 40,000 more passengers a year in each direction. It’s a big win for business, especially across key sectors like mining, oil, and gas.

“South Africa is a major economic player for Australia,” says Flight Centre Corporate Global COO Melissa Elf. “This connection brings huge value to industries that rely on fast, direct flight access between the two countries.”

“We've seen an 8% uplift in demand from our business travellers moving between Australia and South Africa in the first quarter of this year, compared to the first quarter of last year,” Ms Elf said.

“Almost half of that travel is related to the mining, oil, and gas sector, and we see large demand across arts, entertainment, recreation, construction and education industries.

“The rate of air capacity compared to before the pandemic has been among Australia's lowest across all international routes, sitting at 37% prior to these South African Airways flights recommencing.

“From this weekend, we'll see that jump up to 61% of pre-pandemic capacity, and we're anticipating it to hit around 90% by the end of the year.

“This is already having a positive impact on the cost of fares, which were down by 11% last quarter compared to the first quarter of 2023.

“We're expecting to see this trend continue in the coming months as travellers see new options enter the market,” Ms Elf said.

South African Airways Head of Communications, Vimla Maistry, said Australia, and Western Australia in particular, is an important market for leisure and business tourist arrivals to South Africa.

“Australians are a valuable source of foreign direct spend in our economy, contributing to both direct and indirect South African employment through tourism,” Ms Maistry said.

“Additionally, mining is a significant economic driver of both economies. The route was introduced to service this economic sector.”

About Flight Centre Travel Group

The Flight Centre Travel Group is one of the world’s largest travel retailers and corporate travel managers. The company, which is headquartered in Brisbane, Australia, has company-owned leisure and corporate travel business in dozens of countries, spanning Australia, New Zealand, the Americas, Europe, the United Kingdom, South Africa, the United Arab Emirates, and Asia. ASX listed Flight Centre Travel Group (FLT) also operates the global FCM corporate travel management network, which extends to more than 100 countries through company-owned businesses and independent licensees, along with Corporate Traveller, the flagship business specific to the small-to-medium-sized enterprise sector. For more information, visit fctgl.com.