A new competitor in the low cost airline market is launching. Skywise will only be offering flights between Johannesburg and Cape Town at first, but Tabassum Qadir, co-chairperson at Skywise Airline said that there are plans to expand the airlines routes at the end of the year.
“Currently our route network analysts are analysing the statistics [to determine which routes will be implemented].”
Qadir explained that the Cape Town Johannesburg route was selected due to its popularity.
“[Johannesburg] and Cape Town is the ninth busiest route [in the world]. So far we have the capacity of half a million passengers per annum, and we believe there is still a gap in the market for half a million passengers per annum,” said Qadir.
Qadir, said that if SAA is to drop its domestic flight routes, Skywise “takes the challenge to fill that gap.”
This is after recent reports that South African Airways (SAA) is considering dropping its domestic flights, and that its low-cost airline Mango would take its place in servicing these routes.
Skywise officially launches on Thursday, 5 March.
‘Less is more’
The slogan of Skywise is ‘Less is more’. Qadir explains that the airline wants to provide customers with more value for money.
In a recent press release, Johan Borstlap, CEO of Skywise Airline, said: “It has been a long while since Skywise announced its intention to take to the skies, and the time is finally here.
“The low cost carrier model of the airline, brings competitive ticket prices to the general public and we look forward to welcoming our passengers on board. The launch service will provide our customers flying from either regions much more convenience in terms of choice of airline and cost and most importantly service.”
Flight bookings have been open since 11 February 2015, with Qadir stating that there has already been a number of flights booked. “We have seen quite a lot of demand.”
According to Qadir, Skywise currently offers the lowest airfares to consumers. She highlights that prices include all expenses, including baggage and airport tax, which some airlines do not include in their airfares.
“Currently our launch special we are running is R450 one-way, including tax and everything, no hidden charges.”
To book a flight on Skywise, click here.
*SAA and Mango were contacted for comment at the beginning of the week regarding SAA possibly dropping its domestic routes, but had not responded at the time of publication.