Velvet Sky Boosts Domestic Presence

Low-cost carrier Velvet Sky Airlines, the latest entrant in the busy South African domestic market, is to boost capacity on its routes from Johannesburg to Cape Town and Durban following the arrival of a second Boeing 737. The airline, which launched operations on March 22 this year, will increase its flights on the Johannesburg – Cape Town route from one to three flights per day, while Johannesburg – Durban will be served 14 times a week, up from 12 currently, from August 9.

There is already a lot of competition on these two routes with 255 weekly frequencies on the Durban – Johannesburg route and a massive 365 weekly flights between Cape Town and Johannesburg, and the airline has had to differentiate itself from existing operators - either through price or service – to win market share on the routes.

South African Airways, Comair, OneTime Airlines and low-cost operators Mango and Kulula are established on the routes but during its first full month of operation (April), Velvet Sky had secured a nine per cent share of the Johannesburg – Cape Town market and seven per cent of the O&D traffic between Johannesburg and Durban. This was clearly achieved through a low-fare strategy with Velvet Sky’s fares the lowest on the routes.

Velvet Sky was incorporated in February 2008 but spent the past three years formalising its launch, while the industry was in downturn. It is backed by a number of local investors including Chairman Cecil Reddy, owner of engineering company Macdonald Holdings, and Chief Executive Officer Dhevan Pillay, who has interests in the retail sector, mainly in the photographic business.

This latest expansion marks the second stage in the airline’s development. It originally planned to begin operations with three Boeing 737-300s offering a greater schedule on its launch routes but took a more cautious stance ahead of its launch

Schedule:

Johannesburg – Cape Town
VZ300 JNB0555 – 0805CPT 734 x67 10AUG11-
VZ310 JNB1020 – 1230CPT 734 x6
VZ314 JNB1250 – 1500CPT 734 6
VZ316 JNB1550 – 1800CPT 734 x6 09AUG11-
VZ303 CPT0845 – 1100JNB 734 x67 10AUG11-
VZ307 CPT1310 – 1520JNB 734 x6
VZ311 CPT1545 – 1800JNB 734 6
VZ317 CPT1840 – 2045JNB 734 x6 09AUG11-

Johannesburg – Durban
VZ401 JNB0620 – 0730DUR 734 x67
VZ405 JNB0910 – 1020DUR 734 6
VZ421 JNB1200 – 1310DUR 734 15 12AUG11-
VZ415 JNB1820 – 1925DUR 734 x6
VZ404 DUR0815 – 0920JNB 734 x67
VZ408 DUR1100 – 1205JNB 734 6
VZ422 DUR1350 – 1455JNB 734 15 12AUG11-
VZ412 DUR2010 – 2120JNB 734 x6