GEORGE NEWS - Judging by the Facebook comments, travellers from George are thrilled about the return of the George to Lanseria flight to FlySafair's schedule.
Previously operated twice a week, the flights between Lanseria International Airport and George Airport will be a daily occurrence, which the airline is very excited about.
Announcing the news on X and Facebook, FlySafair wrote:
"Lanseria to George is back! Starting 14 March, FlySafair will operate daily flights between these two destinations. Explore the Garden Route's beauty – beaches, forests, and the stunning Outeniqua Mountains. Tickets from R1 162."
Flight FA356 will depart from Lanseria at 10:00, arriving in George at 12:20. The return flight, FA357, will leave George at 12:55, landing back in Lanseria at 14:55.
"Flights are already on sale and we've already had some very positive uptake given how far out this launch is," says FlySafair's marketing chief, Kirby Gordon.
A growing need for more flights
As George continues to expand rapidly, the demand for additional routes has become inevitable. While the reinstated Lanseria flight has many excited, Facebook commenters are also asking for flights connecting George to Durban, Bloemfontein and Mthatha. For now, however, travellers can celebrate the return of the Lanseria route, which was lost in the wake of Covid.
"Unfortunately, George to Durban and Bloemfontein flights are not on our radar at this stage," says Gordon.
"Key to our low-cost operating model is to operate only one type of aircraft, which is the Boeing 737-800. The 800 has 189 seats and we need to almost entirely fill the aircraft to make any money. In fact, if we can't sell seats at a good enough price, even a full plane can end up operating at a loss.
"The whole market for George to Durban has only 300 seats a week on it, so a single weekly flight by us would flood the market, increasing the seats by 63%, likely making it unsustainable for anyone to operate. George to Bloem is even smaller with only 80 seats per week. For now, these routes are best served by operators who fly smaller gauge aircraft."
Lanseria's location makes it a convenient option, significantly reducing the stress of airport commutes for travellers and those picking them up.
This is good news for the city of George and the towns in the Garden Route as a whole, as Lanseria is situated to the north of Johannesburg and near Sandton – making the airport an attractive option for tourists and business people alike.
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