Windhoek
The latest entrant in the regional aviation industry, Fly Blue Crane, successfully launched its first regional flights between Cape Town and Windhoek on Friday, after receiving approval from South African and Namibian authorities to commence the service.
The airline, which took to the skies from its Johannesburg hub in September 2015, plans to fly to more southern African destinations in future as it grows and said it will soon announce exact flight schedules between Cape Town and Windhoek.
Fly Blue Crane Chief Commercial Officer Theunis Potgieter said the launch service between the two cities had gone well, with the airline getting very positive feedback from customers. “The addition of this new route is in line with Fly Blue Crane’s regional ambitions that we articulated at the time of our launch last year. The inaugural return flights between the two cities today surpassed our expectations, amid very good feedback from the market,” he said.
In a statement a fortnight ago the airline said its flights would not supplant, but complement services that were currently being offered between Cape Town and Windhoek by existing players in the market.
“We aim to deliver to our customers on this route high on-time performance, consistent service excellence, advanced online technologies that make the booking and travel process fuss-free, and highly competitive fares.
“The time was right for us to introduce this route in the light of the growing tourism and business ties between the two countries, as well as the fact that many people travelling to the region want to combine South Africa and Namibia.
“Our aim in the coming years is to make air travel an altogether better, convenient and more rewarding experience in the entire southern African sub-region,” Potgieter added.
Fly Blue Crane launched its inaugural flights from OR Tambo International Airport on September 1 last year. It offers cargo services on all its flights to Kimberley and Bloemfontein, as well as between Kimberley and Cape Town, and between Bloemfontein and Cape Town.