South African Airways (SAA) has announced that it will be resuming flights to Mauritius after the island nation lifted its travel ban on the country in January.

The nation banned travel from Southern African countries in November last year following the emergence of the COVID-19 Omicron variant.

SAA interim CEO, Thomas Kgokolo, said the airline welcomed the decision to re-open border gates and flights will resume on 1 March.

“We are delighted to welcome our customers back on the Mauritius route following the decision by the Mauritian government to rescind its decision to stop operations, particularly during the height of the summer season, due to COVID-19 concerns.

“We are also thrilled that we can add Durban to our local network. The short-haul flight is a vital one in linking two economically important cities. We will be announcing a special Durban fare deal for our Voyager programme members shortly,” Kgokolo said.

He said the airline is looking forward to a “successful operation start” to the year following a tumultuous past two years, where the airline was grounded and put under business rescue.

“With a constant eye on finances, we are evaluating passenger load on our routes, with a view of adding and subtracting if necessary.

“In addition, one of our principle focus points in the coming months will be strengthening existing relationships with our alliance partners, with a view of offering passengers more international flight opportunities, as well as looking for more cargo prospects,” Kgokolo said.

According to the airline, since its relaunch in September last year, it completed at least 1 000 flights.

“SAA has also recorded a 100% completion rate - the percentage of completed scheduled flights excluding uncontrollable cancellations. The carrier… is poised for more growth in its first full year of operations since exiting business rescue,” the airline said.

Source: South African Government News Agency