Air connectivity is King 

“It is important that we continually remind ourselves of the central role that air services play in stimulating economic development. New international and regional air routes open up new opportunities across a full spectrum of sectors including tourism and leisure, business and commercial, cargo and manufacturing. It is no coincidence that the fastest growing and most sustainable local economies across the world are served by airports with wide-reaching regional and international networks.” Remarked Mr Sihle Zikalala, KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs.

The report indicates that airlines carried around 3.8 billion passengers and 53 million tonnes of cargo around the world in 2016, which represents over 10 million passengers per day and around USD 18 billion worth of goods on more than 100,000 flights. The immense impact of the aviation industry has been enabled by the increasing demand for passenger and freight services around the world, aided by rapid technological progress and associated investment in aviation infrastructure that has ensued since the 1960s.

This along with a steady decrease in the real cost of air travel, which has seen an over 60 per cent reduction since 1970, has led to an increase in accessibility of air travel, which is now no longer a luxury commodity, especially with the advent of low-cost airlines and airline hubs that have contributed largely to the increased accessibility in the developing world, making air travel available to more people. 

Taking all these numbers into consideration air connectivity has undoubtedly become a catalyst for social-economic development and thus has now become a priority for many national as well as provincial governments who are now focused on driving economic growth through increased air connectivity. 

It is in this regard that the province of KwaZulu-Natal has a dedicated Route Development Committee, Durban Direct, which is responsible for the coordination and promotion of new international air services at King Shaka International Airport. This team comprises the Department of Economic Development, Tourism & Environmental Affairs, Dube Trade Port Special Economic Zone, Tourism KwaZulu-Natal, Trade and Investment KwaZulu-Natal, KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport, eThekwini Municipality, Airports Company South Africa and SA Tourism, under the umbrella of Durban Direct. 

“Since opening in 2010 King Shaka International Airport’s (KSIA) air connectivity grew through the highly successful daily Emirates flight to Dubai, which was joined by regional services to Harare, Lusaka, Maputo and Mauritius by SA Express, SA Airlink, and Air Mauritius respectively. ‘However, 2015 was a watershed year for King Shaka International Airport, as it marked a period where it attracted several airlines that gave it the air connectivity which enabled the airport to significantly bolster both its passenger and cargo traffic volumes.

'December 2015 saw the introduction of Ethiopian Airlines, services to Addis Ababa, Qatar Airways, to Doha, Turkish Airlines to Istanbul and Proflight Zambia to Lusaka in just one month, which gave travellers to and from KwaZulu-Natal access to some of the world’s largest airline networks.” Notes Mr Hamish Erskine, CEO of Dube TradePort and Chairperson of Durban Direct.  

However, since the opening of the airport in 2010 King Shaka International Airport has seen International passenger numbers grow by 155%. When looking at year-on-year growth international passenger numbers continue to show positive growth with international passengers growing by 23% in 2016 compared to 2015. 

 Despite early market adaptions such as Ethiopian Airlines converting their three times weekly flight into a seasonal rotation, between April and June, the airport is nonetheless, still forecasting a further growth of international passengers of 18% for the 2017/18 Financial Year. 

At the same time, cargo volumes through Dube Cargo Terminal have also been positive since the airport opened in 2010, with cargo volumes having grown by 138% and also continuing to show positive growth with cargo volumes increasing by 22% in 2016 when compared to 2015. Cargo volumes are also forecast to grow by 12% in the Financial Year 2017/18.

"The impact of these new air services is therefore already delivering major dividends for the province and people of KwaZulu-Natal, at the same time the growth of the international passenger market in KwaZulu-Natal year on year, indicates that there is still a largely untapped and growing market within the province." Concluded Mr Erskine

Durban Direct is working closely with all international airlines that fly directly into King Shaka International Airport to market their routes and expand their services and frequencies.  Durban Direct will also focus on opening up new routes, which offer the potential for direct services and improving the air connectivity from King Shaka International. Key amongst these destinations are London and Mumbai, whilst very noticeable growth has been seen in the US market. 

Currently, King Shaka International Airport is directly connected to nine international destinations, which have onward connections to over 700 destinations around the world. 

In late September, Durban Direct participated at the World Routes 2017 conference held in Barcelona. World Routes is the global meeting place for airline, airport and aviation stakeholders. This year Durban Direct shared a platform with the Airports Company South Africa (ACSA), Wesgro and the Gauteng province. The event presents an unrivalled platform for route development professionals to discuss, develop and plan route network strategies.