by DION HENRICK in Cape Town
Western Cape Bureau
CAPE TOWN, (CAJ News) – THE commencement or increase in flights to Cape Town by some regional and local airlines is poised to boost passenger statistics to the Western Cape Province.
Proflight Zambia will commence its direct flight from the capital Lusaka, to the South African coastal Mother City on July 1, with two flights per week.
Local operator, Airlink will increase frequencies on its Cape Town – Mbombela (Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport) route, doubling capacity to 12 flights per week, from August 7.
Air Mauritius will increase frequencies on its Mauritius – Cape Town route from two to three times per week from November 28.
The developments come as Cape Town International Airport’s passenger statistics continue on a positive trajectory.
In May, both the domestic and international terminals recorded year-on-year monthly growth.
The domestic terminal recorded a 9 percent year-on-year growth, with over 548 000 passengers moving through the terminal.
The year-to-date growth (January-May) was 7 percent when compared to the same period in 2022.
The international terminal saw a 46 percent year-on-year growth in May, with over 175 000 passengers moving through the terminal.
Year-to-date, the international terminal is showing robust growth reaching 82 percent, reflecting the increased airline capacity and route connectivity compared to the same period in 2022.
Two-way air cargo volumes recorded over 4 700 metric tonnes traded in the month of March for the Western Cape.
Although there are volumetric increases month-on-month for 2023, the drop of 6 percent when comparing March 2023 to the previous year can be attributed to fewer imports of mainly pharmaceuticals, beverages and machinery.
Year-to-date growth remained positive at 7 percent, reaching 14 000 tonnes with a split of 60/40 in favour of exports.
Wesgro, the official tourism, trade and investment promotion agency for Cape Town and the Western Cape, disclosed the figures.
– CAJ News