The festive season comes with a significant increase in passenger traffic, with many airlines and airports witnessing some of their busiest schedules of the year. The situation is no different in South Africa as the Airports Company of South Africa (ACSA) is in its peak season, from October 2023 to March 2024.
The country’s three major international airports are expected to handle large volumes of passengers and aircraft throughout the December and January holidays. According to data from Cirium, there are 4,326 scheduled international flights to South Africa this month and 686,484 seats.
Top international airlines flying to South Africa
Over the past four months, South Africa’s airports have welcomed back many international airlines, like LATAM, Cathay Pacific, and Saudia. These airlines and many others have reinstated international routes last served during the COVID-19 pandemic. This month, 44 carriers are operating international flights into South Africa. Unsurprisingly, Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Durban remain the top three destinations.
Among the international carriers, 22 are African, while four are South African. Airlink, the country’s largest carrier, takes the top spot with 1,458 inbound flights and 105,365 seats. It will connect South Africa to 37 international destinations this month. Emirates is the top intercontinental airline, with 186 inbound flights and 71,423 seats. It flies to the country’s three major airports.
British Airways is the only airline in the top 10 whose top destination is not Johannesburg. This month, it has 75 flights from London to Cape Town, including 61 from Heathrow (LHR) and 14 from Gatwick (LGW). It also has 59 flights from Heathrow to Johannesburg, offering 20,587 seats.
Busiest routes in December
Only four airports in South Africa have international flights this month – Johannesburg OR Tambo (JNB), Cape Town International (CPT), Durban King Shaka (DUR), and Kruger Mpumalanga International (MQP). Johannesburg is by far the busiest, with 3,336 scheduled flights, followed by Cape Town with 879, Durban with 75, and Kruger with 36.
The three major airports have non-stop passenger flights scheduled to over 90 international destinations.
Airlink has flights on 90% of the country’s top 10 international routes. Regarding the number of flights, the Harare-Johannesburg route is the busiest, with four airlines operating 313 flights. However, Dubai-Johannesburg has the most seats (38,329), with Emirates deploying its Boeing 777 and Airbus A380 on the route. Victoria Falls-Johannesburg has the most airlines, with one Zimbabwean and four South African carriers flying between the two destinations.
Busiest weeks in South Africa
The Airports Company of South Africa announced on December 8 that it was geared up to handle the large volumes of travelers through its airports during the holidays. “We are ready to face the festive season, and I’m confident that our carefully planned response to the massive numbers of passengers who will be passing through our airport network is more than adequate to ensure a safe and comfortable journey for holidaymakers,” said ACSA CEO Mpumi Mpofu.
This week (December 11 to 17) is expected to be the busiest week of the holiday period at the Johannesburg Airport. According to ACSA, December 11 was the busiest day, with approximately 577 aircraft movements. The airport was also expected to handle 28,727 departing and 29,315 arriving passengers yesterday.
January 1 to 7 is predicted to be the busiest week in Cape Town. January 1, 2024, will be the busiest day, with 264 aircraft movements and 32,750 passengers. Durban’s King Shaka International Airport will see its busiest week between December 11 and 17. December 14, 2023, will be its busiest day, with 131 aircraft movements and 19,602 passengers traveling through the KwaZulu-Natal airport.
The three main hubs account for about 85% of South Africa’s total passenger traffic. Johannesburg continues to lead the way with 49% of all departing traffic. ACSA has seen a significant recovery in passenger traffic and aircraft movement in the past three years. As of October 2023, passenger numbers have grown by 83%, while air traffic movements have increased by 87%.
Source: https://simpleflying.com/south-africa-top-airlines-routes-december-2023/
