SAA launched its long-awaited direct flight to Beijing this week.
T his is the first from this country to the Chinese mainland, although the daily flights to Hong Kong by SAA and Cathay Pacific Airways have for years been one of the busiest routes from Johannesburg’s OR Tambo Airport.
The new flight, due to leave Johannesburg at 8.12pm three times a week, takes 15 hours. The airline is using an Airbus A340-600 on the route, with business class and economy seats.
Surprisingly, in view of the volume of business traffic between SA and China, there were still some seats available in both classes last week. But business and leisure travel between the two countries has been increasing steadily for years and frequent travellers have grown accustomed to flying with other airlines on indirect routes. So, although travel agents expect this to become one of SAA’s busiest routes, it may take some time.
Wally Gaynor, chief executive of Club Travel, which works with Chinese travel agents to bring tourists here, and handles the arrangements for Chinese workers arriving here en route for projects in neighbouring countries, believes demand will build quickly. He said he thought it would not be long before the flights were crowded, causing SAA to increase the flights from three a week to daily.
Dileseng Koetle, head of corporate affairs at SAA, said the start of the new route had not caused any fall in demand for seats on the Hong Hong flights. They served different areas of China: Hong Kong serves southern China and the industrial Pearl River Delta area, with its factories making clothes, textiles and other consumer goods that attract SA retail buyers, as well as tourists. It offers connecting flights to other countries in the region including Japan, Korea and the Philippines.
The Beijing flight will serve the northern, central and western areas of China. Beijing itself has become tourist-friendly since the Olympic Games were held there, with more international hotels and more people able to speak and understand English and, of course, it has historic tourist attractions such as the Summer Palace. - Weekend Argus