SAA announces expansion with new direct flights to Maun in Botswana

South African Airways (SAA) is continuing to expand its network in Africa by launching a new daily direct flights to Maun, Botswana  from Johannesburg  on June 15.

According to Tim Clyde-Smith, SAA's Country Manager, Australasia, Maun is the gateway to the Okavango Delta, a 15,000 square kilometre area of swamp and water that is the world's largest inland delta and also the world's largest oasis.

"The Okavango Delta lies in northern Botswana on the north-eastern edge of the Kalahari Desert, and is close to the border with the Caprivi Strip panhandle in eastern Namibia," Tim said.

"Botswana is increasingly popular with Australians who are looking for a different travel experience in a region teaming with wildlife. Now, with direct services to the Delta, they can reach it in just one stop from Australia," he said.

The Delta's combination of lush wetland lying next to arid dry country makes it one of the world's most unique places to see game, in terms of the variety of dry-land and wetland species that co-exist in near proximity. Low-ecological-impact tourist camps and lodges are dotted throughout the area catering to group and individual safari visits.

SAA's service to Maun Airport (IATA code MUB) will be operated by its regional partner South African Airlink with 37-seat Embraer ERJ-135 regional jets. SA operates eight 37-seat Embraer ERJ135LR regional jets, as well as eight 83-seat Avro RJ85s and 13 29-seat BAE Systems Jetstream 4100 turboprops.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Botswana recently made a decision to allow increased flights into the country, meaning SAA can commence the new service in addition to its existing flights to Gabarone, the capital city.

The schedule for the new daily Johannesburg-Maun service will see flight SA 8300 departing Johannesburg's OR Tambo International Airport (JNB) at 11:45 am, arriving at MUB at 1:15 pm. In the other direction, flight SA 8301 will leave MUB at 2:00 pm and reach JNB at 3:40 pm.

"SAA's new service to Maun opens up a new and much more convenient way to access one of Botswana's most popular safari destinations through our partners at Airlink," Tim Clyde-Smith said.

Emirates Airline commits to promoting tourism in Zambia

EMIRATES Airlines country manager for Zambia Khalid Hassan says the airline is promoting Zambia tourism as a tourist destination throughout its worldwide network in an effort to increase the inflow of international tourists in the country.
Mr Hassan says the airline will work with Zambian and international travel agents by making connectivity easy for the tourists who want to sample the Victoria Falls and other tourist attraction sites dotted around the country.
Preliminary data shows the number of international passengers at Zambia's major airports grew by 17 percent in the first half of 2010.
He said the airline will continue to market the world-famous Victoria Falls and other tourist attraction areas such as safaris.
"This new Emirates service will further support this growth by bringing leisure and business travellers from points across the airline's global network," he said.
Mr Hassan said the airline will engage local travel and international agents to explore the local tourism industry.
He said Zambia is one of the fastest growing economies in Africa and Emirates sees potential for continued growth in the future.
He said this month (April) Emirates launched its new global brand platform, "Hello Tomorrow", which positions the global airline as the enabler of global connectivity and meaningful experiences.
"The theme encapsulates life's potential and embraces the future with all the possibilities it holds," he said.

The airline flies to 123 destinations across six continents, connecting cities through Dubai.
"These new routes give Zambian travellers new opportunities to explore the world, discover new cultures and connect with people," he said.
He said the airline is providing an efficient bridge to the Middle East, Far East, North America and the Indian sub-continent; and will open new opportunities for business and leisure travellers both in Zambia and worldwide.
Mr Hassan said the main objective of the airline in Zambia is not only to grow its business but to also invest in the local talent.
He said Emirates currently employs 25 qualified Zambian staff.
The airline currently operates 170 aircraft – a mix of 162 Airbus and Boeing passenger aircraft and eight freighters.

Ethiopian Airlines to fly to Sao Paulo by summer

Ethiopian Airlines plans to start flights to Sao Paulo, Brazil, a Latin American Power house,  this summer.

Sao Paulo, one of the largest and richest cities in the world, with a population of about 20 million, is predicted to be the 6th biggest urban area by 2025. According to data from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), its GDP in 2006 was about USD 2.83 billion. If Ethiopian Airlines opens a flight to Sao Paulo, it would be its first venture into Latin America and the airline's fifth continent after Africa, Asia, Europe and North America.

While the current North American destinations are exclusively located in the US, the airline also plans to venture to US' northern neighbor with a flight to Toronto, Canada's largest city, by the summer of this year; accommodating the substantial Ethio-Canadian community.

Ethiopian Airlines is reportedly contemplating the direct route to Brazil because of its emergence as a prominent member of the world's leading economic block; BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa).

Brazil recently overtook the United Kingdom to become the world's sixth largest economy.

Ethiopian Airlines expects many travelers to Brazil including a substantial business class. Brazil's famous historical and beach sites open up great prospects for tourism in both countries.

According to Marcelo A. Borges, first secretary and deputy mission at the Brazilian Embassy to Ethiopia, if the new flight route is opened it could mean a whole new market for business people and tourists.

He also said it could potentially make Addis Ababa Bole International Airport a hub for travelers from Latin America traveling to other African countries and beyond. Currently, no Brazilian airlines fly from  Brazil to Ethiopia.

Ethiopian Airlines recently launched flights to the tiny Indian Ocean island archipelago of Seychelles after 32 years of absence. It also aims to start non-stop flights to Cotonou, the economic capital of the Republic of Benin, effective by June 15. Ethiopian Airlines now flies to 65 destinations globally with multiple lines opening soon.

Precision Air Looking to launch flights to Zimbabwe

Taking advantage of the growing tourism and travel demands in Southern and Eastern African states, Tanzania's fast-growing airline, Precision Air, is looking to start inaugural flights to Zimbabwe as a southern destination.

When implemented later this year, Tanzania's registered airline will take over the southern route once operated by Air Zimbabwe. Precision Air officials said other than Zimbabwe, the airline will extend its wings from Tanzania's capital of Dar es Salaam to Lusaka in Zambia and Lubumbashi in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

The airline plans to apply a new Boeing 737-300 to fly the route. From May 18, the airline will launch its first schedule three flights a week between Dar es Salaam, Lusaka, and Lubumbashi.

Other routes the airline is eyeing are Lilongwe in Malawi and Luanda in Angola through its expansion to cover the Southern African region.

Precision Air officials have finalized their business plans with the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe and the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority to allow smooth operations of the airline.

The Zimbabwe Tourism Authority executive said the launching of Precision Air flights will boost tourism, trade, and commerce between Southern African member states.

Standing as a strong member of the Regional Tourism Organization of Southern African (RETOSA), Zimbabwe is looking to tourism and trade with Tanzania through regional integration.

The Dar es Salaam to Harare route was previously being serviced by Air Zimbabwe and Air Tanzania Corporation, both of which have since pulled out owing to operational challenges.

The Zimbabwe Tourism Authority will jointly host the Africa Travel Association's 37th Annual World Congress in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe.

About 300 delegates are expected at the Congress, including tourism ministers, industry experts representing tourism boards, tour operators and their product development executives, front-line agents, ground operator companies, airlines, and hotels.

The Congress will be held at scenic Victoria Falls, famously known as one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. Victoria Falls is a giant waterfall located in Southern Africa, shared between Zambia and Zimbabwe.

The Zimbabwe Minister of Tourism and Hospitality, Walter Mzembi said his country's greatest attraction, other than wildlife and the Victoria Falls, is the hospitality and culture of the Zimbabwean people.

Minister Mzembi is expected to assume the presidency of the Africa Travel Association (ATA) during this year's Congress.

The last ATA congress in Zimbabwe took place in 1988. ATA was established in 1975 and serves both the public and private sectors of the international travel and tourism industry, with membership comprising governments, tourism authorities, airlines, resorts, and tour operators, among others. Its last congress was held last year in Dakar, Senegal.

PROFLIGHT Zambia Will Launch International Flights

PROFLIGHT Zambia will in June commence international flights, picking two direct regional flights to Zimbabwe and the Democratic Republic of Congo  (DRC) for a start to enhance its business prospects and contribute to the growth of the aviation industry.
The airline company has all along been strictly operating domestic routes and the move to go regional seems to be  a chance to take over the routes that were being operated by the grounded Zambezi Airlines.
Harare and Lubumbashi are the first two direct routes in the region that the airline would be operating following its 21 years of existence.
Speaking in an interview in Lusaka yesterday shortly after the company celebrated its Women's Day under the theme 'celebrating women in aviation', company Commercial Director Keira Irwin said the regional routes would be launched once the company finalised the necessary documentation.
"We plan to open two direct flights to Harare and Lubumbashi, this will be done once we finalise the documentation like acquiring the aircraft operational certificate and hopefully launch them by the end of June," she said.
The opening of the flights would boost both the tourism and aviation sectors thus increasing business activities between Zambia and the countries the airline would fly to.
Proflight has domestic scheduled airlines with routes from Lusaka to Livingstone, Ndola, Solwezi, Kasama Chipata, Mfuwe and Lower Zambezi.
Proflight sales and marketing manager Hellen Ngwira said, in as much as the business was growing, there was need for infrastructure development at some airstrips in the country.
She said infrastructure development in the aviation industry was cardinal as it would further boost its contribution towards national development.
"As Proflight we have taken it upon ourselves to land in areas where others can't land because of different reasons and challenges, with the most outstanding being that of poor infrastructure which also in same way hinders fast growth of the industry," she said.

Air Namibia resumes flights to Zimbabwe

Air Namibia is set to resume its much-awaited flights to Zimbabwe on May 16 and will be flying into the country four times a week.

The airliner, which stopped plying the Zimbabwe route 13 years ago, plans to use a 37-seater — in one-class configuration — all-economy plane for the Windhoek-Harare route.

In an emailed response to NewsDay, head of corporate communications Paul Homateni Nakawa said preparations for the relaunch were at an advanced stage.

"I confirm on behalf of Air Namibia that our first flights to Harare, Zimbabwe,  will be on 16th May 2012," he said.

"Officially, these new routes are starting on the 15th of May 2012.

"Air Namibia will begin flights to Zimbabwe on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays every week, hence our first flight to Harare shall only be on the 16th May 2012, as per the flight schedule."

Air Nambia's re-entry comes two months after Emirates, one of the world's fastest growing international airlines, resumed services to the country.

Emirates currently serves 19 passenger and cargo destinations across the African continent.

Several international airlines, including Egypt Air, Air France, KLM, Lufthansa and Quantas, stopped flights to Zimbabwe because of dwindling passenger numbers as tourists were scared off by political violence and instability.

Regional airlines like Air Malawi, Kenyan Airways and South African Airways are still flying to Zimbabwe.

The Namibian airline has also launched two other regional routes — Ondjiva (Angola) and Gaborone (Botswana). In addition to its growth and expansion plans, the airline hopes to become an independent profit-making entity by the end of 2016.

Durban and KwaZulu-Natal win right to host 2013 International Congress on small and medium enterprises

Osiba Research, the city of Durban and province KwaZulu-Natal have won the right to host the 2013 International Conference on Small and Medium Enterprises. The Durban KwaZulu-Natal Convention Bureau, EThekwini Business Support Unit and Department of Economic Development and Tourism successfully assisted a Johannesburg based organisation, Osiba Research, that has been particularly successful in the realm of Small and Medium Enterprise research, development and workshop organisation, to put forward a winning bid to host the 2013 international Conference on Small and Medium Enterprises.

This event is organised through the World Association of Medium and Small Enterprises. Mr Bakula's, who is the only South African members of WASME, bid was initially short-listed. He was then expected to deliver a formal bid presentation regarding the ability of Durban and province of KwaZulu-Natal to host the 2013 international Conference on Small and Medium Enterprises on the 7th of April in Cairo, Egypt. This presentation secured the bid for Durban.

"This event is expected to lure some 700 foreign delegates to the city and province and just the spend of these delegates is expected to generate well in excess of R5mn of economic impact for the metropolitan area of Durban in terms of direct tourism spend", said an elated James Seymour, CEO of the Durban KwaZulu-Natal Convention Bureau. "The most important impact of this event, will however be the fact that it will heighten the level of awareness of the need to stimulate more SME economic activity in KZN, South Africa and Africa and bring about important training and capacity in this regard".

This congress is expected to be integrated into the Durban Business Fair which will take place in at the Durban ICC in September 2013.

"This congress is the 27th bid which the recently established Durban KwaZulu-Natal Convention Bureau has assisted in securing. The total impact of these events is expected to be in excess of R1 billion", stated James Seymour.

To get participate in this event you have to secure your flights to Durban. So to get cheap flights to Durban and get more details regarding accommodation and hotels you can call our reservation experts on 02079936219.