Gunship
26th May 2005, 01:37
From Busrep :
Cape Town - Virgin Atlantic Airways would not ask for permission to put on more flights to South Africa when negotiations for more air traffic rights between this country and the UK were held next month, according to Mike Higgins, Virgin's regional manager for Africa.
This follows the airline being rebuffed two years ago when it wanted to lay on more flights.
Higgins said Virgin diverted capacity to other routes, including Bermuda, Havana and Mumbai.
With the Indian market now opening up and Virgin's expansion in Nigeria, where it has been chosen as the strategic equity partner for the new national carrier, it was not likely to have more aircraft available for South Africa until 2008.
Higgins pointed out that the situation had changed since 2002/03 when South Africa became one of the most attractive destinations for European airlines. It was now facing stronger competition from other countries and, for the past two years, Virgin's forward planning had taken a different direction.
"Airlines order planes years in advance," Higgins said. "They cannot suddenly order six more for next summer."
However, industry sources pointed out that in 2008 Virgin would take delivery of its first giant Airbus A380, which it has already promised to use on the Johannesburg route, enabling it to bring more passengers without increasing the number of flights.
Charles Forsyth, British Airways' general manager for southern and east Africa, was not available this week to say whether it would continue to ask for permission to increase its flights to Cape Town to two a day - the same number it has to Johannesburg.
But, he pointed out, capacity on the route between London and South Africa should be increased gradually to ensure there would be sufficient flights when this country hosted the soccer World Cup in 2010.
SAA now carries British Midland International (BMI) passengers between South Africa and the UK under codeshare arrangements that started in March.
BMI is a member of the Star Alliance of international airlines, which SAA is preparing to join. It carries SAA passengers on from London to destinations in the UK and Ireland under longstanding codeshare arrangements.
But Sabrina Alcock, BMI's general sales agent in South Africa, dismissed rumours that BMI would apply this year for permission to fly here.
It has just started a new route to Mumbai and Alcock said that South Africa was ninth on its list of proposed future destinations.
Cape Town - Virgin Atlantic Airways would not ask for permission to put on more flights to South Africa when negotiations for more air traffic rights between this country and the UK were held next month, according to Mike Higgins, Virgin's regional manager for Africa.
This follows the airline being rebuffed two years ago when it wanted to lay on more flights.
Higgins said Virgin diverted capacity to other routes, including Bermuda, Havana and Mumbai.
With the Indian market now opening up and Virgin's expansion in Nigeria, where it has been chosen as the strategic equity partner for the new national carrier, it was not likely to have more aircraft available for South Africa until 2008.
Higgins pointed out that the situation had changed since 2002/03 when South Africa became one of the most attractive destinations for European airlines. It was now facing stronger competition from other countries and, for the past two years, Virgin's forward planning had taken a different direction.
"Airlines order planes years in advance," Higgins said. "They cannot suddenly order six more for next summer."
However, industry sources pointed out that in 2008 Virgin would take delivery of its first giant Airbus A380, which it has already promised to use on the Johannesburg route, enabling it to bring more passengers without increasing the number of flights.
Charles Forsyth, British Airways' general manager for southern and east Africa, was not available this week to say whether it would continue to ask for permission to increase its flights to Cape Town to two a day - the same number it has to Johannesburg.
But, he pointed out, capacity on the route between London and South Africa should be increased gradually to ensure there would be sufficient flights when this country hosted the soccer World Cup in 2010.
SAA now carries British Midland International (BMI) passengers between South Africa and the UK under codeshare arrangements that started in March.
BMI is a member of the Star Alliance of international airlines, which SAA is preparing to join. It carries SAA passengers on from London to destinations in the UK and Ireland under longstanding codeshare arrangements.
But Sabrina Alcock, BMI's general sales agent in South Africa, dismissed rumours that BMI would apply this year for permission to fly here.
It has just started a new route to Mumbai and Alcock said that South Africa was ninth on its list of proposed future destinations.