Africa

Qantas to deploy A380s to Africa for the first time

Qantas is making history today as its inaugural Airbus A380 flight takes off for Johannesburg, marking the first time the national carrier has operated the Superjumbo to Africa.

This monumental move means up to six flights per week, nearly doubling the capacity between Australia and Africa, adding an impressive 130,000 seats annually. The qantas A380 is capable of carrying 485 passengers across four luxurious cabins. This deployment marks the return of First Class on this route, a feature not seen since 2018.

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The First Class section offers 14 exclusive suites arranged in a spacious 1-1-1 configuration, each converting into a 212-centimeter bed. Additionally, Premium Economy seats are more than doubling, providing even more options for travelers.

Passengers in First and Business Class can enjoy the upper deck lounge, featuring booth-style seating for 10 people, a self-service bar, and an opportunity to order signature drinks and snacks.

Qantas’ history with South Africa dates back to 1948 when the airline first touched down in Johannesburg with a Lancastrian survey flight from Sydney. The journey evolved over the years, transitioning from 66-hour flights on the Lockheed Constellation L-749A—affectionately known as the “Wallaby Route“—to today’s nonstop journeys across the southern Indian Ocean. This is the first airbus a380 capacity flight operated by any airline over this route, a significant milestone for aviation.

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Looking ahead, Qantas plans to relaunch direct flights from Perth to Johannesburg in mid-2025, pending border agency approvals. Alongside this expansion, Qantas has announced a new codeshare partnership with Johannesburg-based Airlink, which will dramatically extend its reach across South Africa.

This partnership allows seamless travel between Qantas flights to Johannesburg and nine other South African destinations, including Cape Town, Durban, and Hoedspruit, with plans to expand to more destinations in the near future.

Tickets for the A380 flights are now available on the Qantas website and via travel agents, with codeshare connections on Airlink ready for travel from late October 2024. All Qantas international fares come with checked baggage, meals, beverages, and qantas entertainment movie list ensuring a comfortable journey for every passenger.

Africa

IndiGo To Start 6 New Flights To Africa Central Asia

IndiGo is getting ready to expand internationally by adding six additional locations in Asia and Africa.

From Mumbai, the airline will offer direct flights in late July or early August connecting Nairobi, Kenya, and Jakarta, Indonesia. Additionally, Delhi will have connections to Baku, Azerbaijan, and Tashkent, Uzbekistan, as well as Almaty, Kazakhstan, in September and Tbilisi, Georgia, in August.

In order to meet the growing demand for international travel from, to, and via India, IndiGo will also add 174 additional weekly international flights between June and September of this year. These flights will include new destinations, routes, and frequencies.

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In August, IndiGo will begin daily service from Delhi to Hong Kong, expanding passenger travel options. When Covid19 struck three years ago, this flight was put on hold; it will now resume.

The next few months will see the launch of more direct international services connecting Dammam to Lucknow, Chennai, and Kochi; Abu Dhabi to Goa, Lucknow, and Ahmedabad; Ras Al Khaimah to Hyderabad; Bahrain to Kochi; and Jeddah to Ahmedabad, bringing more Indian cities closer to Middle Eastern destinations.

“We will be able to increase our footprint across four continents, including our initial expansion into Africa and Central Asia, and the addition of these exciting new destinations, new direct flight routes, increased aircraft frequencies, and strategic codeshare relationships.

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In addition to our 78 domestic destinations, with this network extension, IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers noted, “We will now directly touch 32 international destinations (up from 26).” Additionally, he claimed that the airline is carrying out its goal of “Towards New Heights and Across New Frontiers” and is prepared to build unmatched links between people and places.

The development coincides with the government’s initiatives to establish India as a global aviation centre as well as a period of increasing demand for international travel to, through, and from India.

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