April 1 saw the launch by Ethiopian Airlines of an additional flight from Johannesburg to Addis Ababa, increasing frequency to three times a day. A spokesperson for the airline said the additional flight would make destinations like Mumbai, New Delhi, Tel Aviv, Nairobi and Entebbe more accessible to South Africans. The airline uses a dedicated Boeing 737-800 aircraft on the route. Transport economist Dr Joachim Vermooten told FTW that increased flight frequency was always favourable to airlines, as proven by the S-Curve principle – which demonstrates that operating smaller aircraft at higher frequencies provides carriers with a competitive advantage.
Cape Town, he said, was a fast-growing destination that was highly desirable from an international tourist perspective. “In fact, most of the tourism growth in South Africa emanates from a very large increase in tourism growth to Cape Town. And the more airlines fly there, the more they’ll want to in future, due to the fact that critical economic mass has been achieved.”
