South African Airways : Promoting both South Africa and Mauritius

South African Airways (SAA) began operations on 1st February 1934. SAA is a respected carrier in Africa, serving regional destinations between Johannesburg and six African destinations – Accra, Kinshasa, Harare, Lusaka, Lagos, Mauritius and two domestic routes from Johannesburg to Cape Town and Durban. SAA is a member of the largest international airline network alliance, Star Alliance. From its first flight in 1934, SAA have welcomed the world to South Africa by showing off the warm generous heart of the country. The airline has 88 years of excellence and innovation to draw on.

“Mauritius remains a key island holiday destination for South Africans. The recovery rate (85 % of 2019 levels) in terms of arrivals from market RSA is yet to reach pre-Covid levels but the indicators since the start of year 2023 are positive. We also note a growing bleisure segment with corporate customers making the most of their business stay on the island by adding a few days to relax,” explains Menon Ramasawmy, Lead Regional Sales Southern Africa & Indian Ocean Islands for South African Airways.

He adds that the relationship between Mauritius and South Africa is more centred over investment flows into Mauritius rather than trade. Mauritius importation from South Africa only represents around 8% of total imports for year 2021. For him, there is scope to increase both exports to and imports from South Africa and the rest of the continent. The one sector which is growing its export footprint to South Africa is textile.

“SAA has rapidly increased both frequencies and capacity into Mauritius since we restarted the route after Covid. We, currently, are operating wide body aircrafts (A340) daily to the island, offering a capacity of 256 one-way seats to our customers. Our business class cabin is made up of 38 seats that fully recline to allow our premium customers to rest before they get to their destination. SAA also connects the island to the rest of the continent, with flights to Nigeria, Ghana, DRC, Kenya, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Namibia. Moreover, SAA works closely with our tour operator partners based in South Africa and Mauritius to promote both destinations. We promote both South Africa and Mauritius through our social media pages and on our online booking platform.”