Whatshot
British Airways launches direct flights between Durban and London
British Airways launches direct flights between Durban and London
The much-anticipated inaugural non-stop flight between London and Durban, by British Airways, the flight landed early this morning at King Shaka International Airport, the flight ushers in a new direct air service, which will be operated three times a week with British Airways latest fleet of aircraft, the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner.
Commenting during the welcoming ceremony held at King Shaka International Airport, Mr Sihle Zikalala, KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs, remarked " We are here to celebrate the launch of British Airways flight between Durban and London. It is important that we continually remind ourselves of the central role that air services play in stimulating economic development. New international and regional air routes open up new opportunities across a full spectrum of sectors including tourism and leisure, business and commercial, cargo and manufacturing. It is no coincidence that the fastest growing and most sustainable local economies across the world are served by airports with wide-reaching regional and international networks."
As it stands, there are currently some 100,000 passengers, who travel between Durban and the United Kingdom every year; this new route will tap directly into this latent demand.
Phindile Makwakwa Acting Chief Executive of Tourism KZN highlighted the fact that " British Airways has already indicated that inward-bound forward bookings are looking extremely good and that this has been welcomed by the local tourism and business sector, which is predicting a boom this holiday season.
'The impact of the introduction of new air services has already delivered dividends for the people of the province of KwaZulu-Natal, but at the same time, the growth of the international passenger market in KwaZulu-Natal indicates to us that there is still a largely untapped and growing market within the province."
Neville Matjie, Chief Executive Officer for Trade & Investment KwaZulu-Natal, says that he is confident that the launch of more direct international flights will inject a lucrative boost for foreign direct investment for the province. " Our passionate quest is to continue to attract investments from the Unpited Kingdom into the province and also to encourage our companies to invest in the United Kingdom. We would like to assure the business community that KwaZulu-Natal is a safe haven for businesses to thrive and we are ready to provide headquarters for any business looking forward to expanding its operations."