Share

City: SAA decision disappointing

Johannesburg - The City of Cape Town expressed its disappointment on Thursday with SA Airways' decision to end direct flights between London and Cape Town after August 15.

In an open letter to SAA chairperson Cheryl Carolus and CEO Siza Mzimela, tourism spokesperson Grant Pascoe said: "Our very real concern is that this decision will have a negative impact on the tourism industry in Cape Town.

"This is an industry which injects R14.6bn per year into Cape Town's GDP (gross domestic product)."

SAA would cease the direct flights so it could redeploy its aircraft to routes with increasing demand, said general manager (commercial) Theunis Potgieter on Tuesday.

He said passengers flying from London to Cape Town would from August 16 be flying via Johannesburg's OR Tambo airport.

It is estimated 300 000 people are permanently employed in the tourism industry within the municipality, said Pascoe.

"We believe it would be a better option to initially downscale the operation if it is indeed financially unviable, and possibly negotiate the transfer of slots with other airlines."

Pascoe said the redirecting of flights seemed short-sighted, as the British market still represents significant value to Cape Town.

He appealed to Carolus to reconsider the decision to save much-needed jobs within the municipality.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Rand - Dollar
18.94
-0.2%
Rand - Pound
23.90
-0.0%
Rand - Euro
20.43
+0.2%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.34
+0.1%
Rand - Yen
0.13
-0.1%
Platinum
908.75
+1.3%
Palladium
1,014.28
+1.3%
Gold
2,221.04
+1.2%
Silver
24.86
+0.9%
Brent-ruolie
86.09
-0.2%
Top 40
68,346
+1.0%
All Share
74,536
+0.9%
Resource 10
57,251
+2.9%
Industrial 25
103,936
+0.6%
Financial 15
16,502
-0.1%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Company Snapshot
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE
Government tenders

Find public sector tender opportunities in South Africa here.

Government tenders
This portal provides access to information on all tenders made by all public sector organisations in all spheres of government.
Browse tenders