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ESWATINI AIR MAIDEN FLIGHT ON MARCH 26

03/03/2023 08:35:00 Sibusiso Zwane

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MANZINI – The long wait is over as on March 26, 2023, Eswatini Air will have its maiden flight to Johannesburg and tickets will range from E1 300.

The maiden flight shall form part of Phase I by Eswatini Air, which is a subsidiary of Royal Eswatini Airways Corporation (RENAC). This was said by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of RENAC, Qiniso Dhlamini, in a press briefing yesterday announcing the planned operating schedule, fares and notice of reservations. This, according to Dhlamini, marked and brought to an end the long wait for the commencement date of Eswatini Air flights. He said the launch of Phase I was scheduled for flights to depart at King Mswati III International Airport to Johannesburg (O.R. Tambo International Airport).

Rotation

Dhlamini said Eswatini Air would be operating two flights per day (an early morning rotation and a late afternoon rotation) effective March 26, 2023. The morning rotation, he said, would depart from King Mswati III International Aiport at 7am to arrive in Johannesburg at 7:45am. The CEO said the return flight would depart at O.R. Tambo International Airport at 8:45am arriving at King Mswati III International Airport at 9:35am.

He said: “We recognise that this is a brand-new operation, and thus requires caution to ensure a smooth entry in the market. In lieu of this, Eswatini Air has deemed it proper to introduce our service in four phases.” The CEO said this would be followed by an introduction of the second rotation flights between King Mswati III International Airport and O.R. Tambo International Airport.

He said the flight would depart at King Mswati III International Airport at 4:05pm arriving at O.R. Tambo International Airport at 4:55pm, with the return leg departing from O.R. Tambo International Airport at 5:40pm and arriving at King Mswati III International Airport at 6:30pm. He said Phase II would be added to the schedule effective April 14, 2023 and would service Eswatini and Zimbabwe, Harare (HRE). This phase, he said, would be offering four flights per week on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.

Dhlamini said all flights would depart at King Mswati III International Airport at 10:15am and arrive at 11:45am in Harare, while the departure from there would be 2pm to arrive in Eswatini at 3:30pm. Subsequently, on May 5, 2023, he said they would introduce Phase III which would service King Mswati III International Airport and Durban, South Africa.

He said this route would be offering a flight each day of the week. The CEO also said the flight would depart locally at 5:30pm to arrive in Durban at 6:30pm, while the return flight would depart in Durban at 7:55am to arrive at King Mswati III International Airport at 8:55am. “Phase III also includes introduction of a third daily flight between King Mswati III International Airport and O.R. Tambo International Airport to be operated in the afternoon. Timings for this flight are such that departure from King Mswati III International Airport is 11:30am arriving at O.R. Tambo International Airport at 12:20pm, and departure from O.R. Tambo International Airport is 2:10pm arriving at King Mswati III International Airport at 3pm,” he said.

Lastly, Dhlamini said Phase IV, which would be the final launch phase entailed an addition of the destination of Cape Town to the route network, effective June 2, 2023. He said Cape Town would be operated three times per week on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. The departure time, he said, from King Mswati III International Airport would be 10:20am arriving at Cape Town at 12:50pm. The CEO said the return flight would depart from Cape Town at 1:40pm and arrive at King Mswati III International Airport at 4:10pm.

He said: “Our reservations and ticketing system is now open for bookings and ticket purchases. Details of our contact information are as follows: Email: reservations@eswatiniair.co.sz: available immediately; Telephone or (+268) 2518 0100 (Eswatini customer service centre), effective March 6, 2023 or website:www.eswatiniair.co.sz, effective March 20, 2023 or visit our Customer Service Centre located at Ground Floor, Shops 6; 7 & 8, Manzini Junction, Manzini, Kingdom of Eswatini and alternatively contact your nearest travel agent. Travel agency-based bookings are also accessible via our partners APG Airlines (A1) and Hahn Air.”

Resolution

Dhlamini invited all prospective clients to book and fly with Eswatini Air for all their travels in and out of the Kingdom. He said their resolution, as expressed in the ‘Everyone Must Fly’ slogan, was to ensure that travel by air inbound and outbound Eswatini was affordable to all. Dhlamini explained that their launch special fares were on offer for one-way flights inclusive of taxes ranging from: E1 300 on flights between Eswatini and Johannesburg or Durban, E2 100 on flights between Eswatini and Cape Town, while it would be E2 200 on flights between Eswatini and Harare. He said their schedule was designed to also offer connections via their hub, King Mswati III International Airport for travellers between Durban and Harare, as well as between Johannesburg and Harare.