Launching a new route is a significant investment by any
airline, and airports globally are fiercely competing to attract
new airlines. Durban Direct is a group that has been driving
airline route development in KwaZulu-Natal, resulting in the
successful introduction of new airline routes into Durban's
King Shaka International Airport.
Airline Route Development is essentially all the work that
goes behind answering the question,' Why should I fly here?'
posed by Airlines when selecting a destination to fly to. To
answer this question, Route Development bodies need to
provide a business case that unpacks issues that include
forecasting the number of passengers and cargo volumes
the airline is likely to attract and calculating the overall
financial sustainability of the route.
Durban Direct has been presenting business cases to
airlines for the past decade and has attracted eight airlines
that have connected KwaZulu-Natal to over 360 destinations
worldwide. The Durban Direct's success can be attributed to
its collaborative nature, with local stakeholders, including governmental, tourism, trade and development bodies, as
well as private enterprises, with their support leading
productive route development initiatives.
Mrs Xolile Shabalala, Route Development Project Manager
"As Durban Direct continues to grow route development
in the province, we're looking to cultivate more partnerships,
to drive traffic systematically, leading to more sustainable
routes in the long term. Regional developments such as the
implementation of the Single African Air Transport Market,
the African Free Trade Agreement, and Africa's growing and
young population which is expected to have a significant
contribution to the world's GDP over the next 20 years are
some of the factors making it increasingly important for us
to prioritize collaboration among all economic stakeholders
in driving air connectivity."
Durban Direct is working to improve the region's connectivity
with strategic destinations throughout Africa and the world,
unlocking aviation's potential to drive socio-economic
development.