Airports Company South Africa adds new direct flight from Frankfurt

Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) welcomes Condor Airline’s intent to operate direct flights from Frankfurt to Johannesburg, says Charles Shilowa, ACSA Group Executive: Strategy and Sustainability. Condor, a German-based leisure airline will launch two weekly flights between Frankfurt International Airport in Hessen, Germany, and O.R. Tambo International Airport in Gauteng from November 2022.

“The new direct flights will add much-needed traffic from Europe to South Africa, helping to re-ignite the tourism sector, a key driver of economic activity and job creation in the country,” says Shilowa.

Condor’s flights to Johannesburg will be in addition to the three weekly flights planned for Cape Town International, scheduled to also begin in November. Condor will effectively operate five direct weekly flights into South Africa, linking Johannesburg and Cape Town to Frankfurt. Condor will operate both Johannesburg and Cape Town flights on a seasonal basis, from November 2022 to April 2023.

The airline will operate a Boeing 767-300ER with up to 259 seats in a three-class configuration (Business Class/Premium Economy Class/Economy Class). This product will cater to both corporate and leisure market segments.

Condor has an interline agreement with FlySafair, and this will link the planned Johannesburg service to Condors’ Cape Town operations. Condor’s planned operations will accelerate the recovery of ACSA’s international market segment.

Frankfurt International Airport is a global hub and gateway with extensive transatlantic connections. These additional flights will enhance South Africa’s connectivity to global markets, in particular, Europe and North America.

“O.R. Tambo International will provide Condor with access to the Southern African Development Community (SADC) market, which has a population of over 300 million and is one of the fastestgrowing trade blocs in Africa,” says Shilowa.

South Africa has a diverse relationship with Germany. Cooperation between the two countries is multifaceted and of a strategic nature, covering areas including trade and investment, science and technology, development cooperation, climate change, energy, education, and skills development. South Africa and Germany also cooperate on a range of multilateral issues.

Germany is one of South Africa’s largest international source market. The added connectivity will deepen ties between the two countries.