Ndau (L) and Lamola
People flying to and from South Africa will have an additional choice as the South African Airways (SAA), which has today started selling air tickets, says it will from next month resume flights between South Africa and Malawi.
SAA suspended flights between Lilongwe and Johannesburg due to travel bans that were effected at the peak of the coronavirus pandemic a thing which saw Malawians travelling to South Africa having only two choices of either local flag carrier Malawian Airlines or Ethiopian Airlines.
However, breaking the news, the Malawi High Commission in Pretoria posted on its Facebook page saying SAA authorities and the Government of Malawi engaged in series of negotiations where it was resolved that the flights to Malawi should resume in March.
It is reported that the announcement was made by Professor John Lamola who is SAA Chief Executive Officer during a meeting he held with Her Excellency Mrs. Stella Ndau at the Malawi High Commission in Pretoria in the company of Ms Vimla Maistry, Head of Corporate Affairs at SAA and other Diplomatic staff.
During the visit, Prof Lamola expressed enthusiasm that SAA will finally be operating on this route as the challenges they have had were being resolved and he stated that the national flag carrier has had to restructure and one of the focus areas was promotion of AFCTA within the SADC region and hence the rigorous planning that preceded the resumption of flights.
He then commended Malawi High Commission for its efforts, commitment, and collaboration in ensuring the resumption of SAA’s flights to Malawi.
On her part, Her Excellency Ndau commended SAA for its decision saying it signifies renewed confidence that South African businesses have in the operating environment in Malawi and she also reiterated that the resumption of flights will contribute to the improvement of the tourism and transport sectors as stipulated in the MW2063 Agenda.
“We are excited with this development which we believe will ensure that Malawi should remain as one of the most affordable tourist destinations in the region. This will certainly compliment Government’s efforts of improving our economy,” said Ndau.
Authorities have also announced that ticket sales have begun today, Monday 6th February, 2023.
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