In a briefing to the Western Cape Provincial Parliament’s Standing Committee of Finance, Economic Development, and Tourism, the Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) revealed that the influx of airline passengers to South Africa has seen a recovery of 53% this year in comparison to the pre-pandemic levels in 2019 and is expected to increase to 69% in the 2022/23 financial year.
ACSA also further revealed that the arrival of international travellers to South Africa, which has seen a recovery of 33%, is flagging behind domestic travel, which has recovered to 59% of pre-pandemic levels. And while there is some indication of further increases in international travellers this year, a slow response from the national Department of Transport will dampen this recovery if swift action is not taken.
MPP Gillion Bosman says: “ACSA has forecasted that there will be a further recovery of 15% and 22% in domestic and international travellers, respectively, this year but with the unemployment rate continuing to increase, we need a responsive national government which can facilitate bringing more tourists to our shores. The DA in the Western Cape commends the proactive approach taken by the provincial Department of Economic Development and Tourism, in launching an intergovernmental dispute with the national Department of Transport due to international carriers, such as Delta Airlines and United Airlines, not being able to fly a triangular route between the United States, Johannesburg and Cape Town – despite bilateral air service agreements being in places for precisely this reason.
While the provincial and national government are set to meet this month to resolve the matter, we urge the national government to play its part in supporting the tourism industry in South Africa and approve the triangular routes as soon as possible. These flights do not pose any risk to the market share of our domestic airlines and would stimulate freight and passenger routes between the Western Cape and the United States which could see an increase of between 25% to 50% in economic activity between the two regions.
The national Department claims that they will seize every opportunity to support the recovery of air travel in South Africa but the department itself is a roadblock to this recovery. We trust that all stakeholders will work together in good faith and with urgency to ensure the creation of jobs and the recovery of tourism in the Western Cape and in South Africa.”