KMIA To Receive International Charters?
NELSPRUIT– The first chartered planeload of European tourists could be touching down at Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport (KMIA) during this year.
At least that is the hope of airport manager Sisa Tanda. Negotiations are in an advanced stage with a major UK charter company to fly once a week to KMIA.
Gaining the charter airline is one of three key aims on Tanda’s business wish list for 2007. The others include enticing a low-cost airline into a long-term arrangement and increasing the amount of cargo traffic.
After doubling profitability in the past year, the seasoned Tanda is working hard to coordinate consultants, agents, route developers and operators to further the master plan for the future.
Most of the income is derived from people travelling through and using the services at the airport.
“Our short-term objectives include the development of the charter airlines business,” Tanda said. “By the end of this year we expect to have weekly charter flights and once one operator starts, it will have a snowball effect.
“We have learned through studies that the two main places in South Africa that foreign tourists want to visit during a 14-day stay, are Cape Town and the Kruger National Park. We want to make their travel arrangements as comfortable and direct as we can.
“We are slightly restricted by national requirements and bilateral aviation arrangements which means using Johannesburg’s OR Tambo Airport as the point of entry,” said Tanda. He is also cognisant of the desire of domestic fliers to have more choice of internal operators– especially a no-frills, low-price airline.
The third arrow in Tanda’s quiver is reserved for the cargo market, which he sees as a key economic growth factor for the region’s future and long-term development of the airport.
At least that is the hope of airport manager Sisa Tanda. Negotiations are in an advanced stage with a major UK charter company to fly once a week to KMIA.
Gaining the charter airline is one of three key aims on Tanda’s business wish list for 2007. The others include enticing a low-cost airline into a long-term arrangement and increasing the amount of cargo traffic.
After doubling profitability in the past year, the seasoned Tanda is working hard to coordinate consultants, agents, route developers and operators to further the master plan for the future.
Most of the income is derived from people travelling through and using the services at the airport.
“Our short-term objectives include the development of the charter airlines business,” Tanda said. “By the end of this year we expect to have weekly charter flights and once one operator starts, it will have a snowball effect.
“We have learned through studies that the two main places in South Africa that foreign tourists want to visit during a 14-day stay, are Cape Town and the Kruger National Park. We want to make their travel arrangements as comfortable and direct as we can.
“We are slightly restricted by national requirements and bilateral aviation arrangements which means using Johannesburg’s OR Tambo Airport as the point of entry,” said Tanda. He is also cognisant of the desire of domestic fliers to have more choice of internal operators– especially a no-frills, low-price airline.
The third arrow in Tanda’s quiver is reserved for the cargo market, which he sees as a key economic growth factor for the region’s future and long-term development of the airport.
Labels: airlines, mpumalanga, nelspruit, southern kruger, travel
posted by Kruger2Canyons.com at
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
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