Independent South African carrier, Skywise Airlines, will announce at least one new market next month as it expands its fleet and builds on the success of its debut on the busy Johannesburg – Cape Town route. The carrier says it will bring more value to domestic travellers with the introduction of an expanded network, launching from August 2015.
At the same time as expanding its network, Skywise will reinforce its operations in its existing market and increase the frequency of flights between Johannesburg and Cape Town. The airline launched commercial operations on the route on March 5, 2015 having started flying just a month earlier with a local commercial charter.
Skywise believes its ‘less is more’ business model of balancing low fares with an innovative service approach to differentiate its brand will help it succeed in the competitive South African market. “The drive will see our customer centred services, mainly fares and cabin extras, reflecting a balance between the two globally successful air travel formats. We want the Skywise model to be a game changer in the South African air passenger industry” said co-chairperson, J Malik.
Without giving away details of its network strategy, Skywise noted there are significant markets with potential to grow in South Africa as the country is endowed with “countless destinations celebrated for their vast and exciting flora and fauna that draws huge numbers of holiday-makers to the corners of the country annually”.
“The expansion of routes follows consistent advice and comments to service other destinations. The new routes mirror Skywise’s plans to firmly establish itself in the domestic air passenger sector; and also answer to the persistent calls to provide services elsewhere in South Africa," said Skywise co-chairpersons J Malik and Tabassum Qadir in a statement.
The airline is currently utilising a 27 year-old Boeing 737-300 on the Johannesburg – Cape Town route but has selected a smaller 737-500 as its second aircraft type. The 23 year-old jet, which was first delivered to former Belgian flag carrier, Sabena in November 1991 and most recently served with Nigerian carrier, Changchangi Airlines before being handed over to Skywise earlier this month.
“Prior to the acquisition of the new aircraft we looked at which aircraft suits our destination network and we settled for the Boeing 737 once again. More importantly, it fits very well our Low Cost Carrier model and should boost our service delivery,” said Mailk and Qadir.
Our analysis of Sabre Airport Data Intelligence statistics shows that Johannesburg – Cape Town remains one of the world’s busiest city pairs with over four million annual passengers. Although segment demand slipped significantly between 2010 and 2012, growth in the subsequent two years has seen demand recover to similar heights recorded in the first year of the decade.
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