eThekwini Municipality - Turkish and Daqar Airlines to have direct flights to Durban2015-09-23 Two airlines will fly directly to the King Shaka International Airport as from the end of 2015.
The historic announcements were made by the MEC for Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs, Michael Mabuyakhulu, during the World Routes Conference currently taking place in Durban’s Inkosi Luthuli International Convention Centre. Turkish Airlines will have direct flights from Istanbul into Durban by 15 November 2015 while Qatar Airways will fly directly from Doha to Durban via Johannesburg as from 17 December 2015. The new flight services will operate four times a week â€" on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Currently, the Emirate’s daily Boeing 777 operates daily flights between Durban and Dubai. Mabuyakhulu said this new international links will create an avenue for Durban and KwaZulu-Natal to connect to more than 151 destinations in all six continents which guarantee an upsurge in the tourist, business and general passenger numbers to grace King Shaka International Airport. “As government we have duly recognised that accessibility is a key feature needed to achieve sustainable economic growth and prosperity and it is in that spirit that we continue to provide services and improve the provision of world-class transport and logistics infrastructure,†said Mabuyakhulu. Mabuyakhulu added that the partnership with Qatar Airways will add value to our campaign of building sustainable air connectivity from King Shaka International Airport to the rest of the world, which would ensure that KwaZulu-Natal becomes a key regional aviation hub. EThekwini Mayor James Nxumalo said it was important for Durban to secure more direct flights to the City and the Province to increase economic activity and tourism. “Durban is the gateway to Africa and we are confident that we can increase visitors and investors if we have more direct routes to the City. We are an investment destination which presents a lot of opportunities for investors who wish to tap into the Southern Africa market and to the entire African continent for investments. Hence we applaud Qatar Airways management for taking this bold step by choosing Durban, KwaZulu-Natal as their new route in growing their air network,†said Nxumalo. ENDS Issued by eThekwini Municipality’s Communications Head, Tozi Mthethwa. For more information members of the media can contact Gugu Mbonambi on 031 311 4855 or email: gugu.mbonambi@durban.gov.za or Princess Nkabane on 031 311 4818 or princess.nkabane@durban.gov.za |
eThekwini Municipality - Turkish and Daqar Airlines to have direct flights to Durban
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