Difficult to reach Zanzibar
The absence of Mango Airlines’ direct flights between Johannesburg and Zanzibar reduces the appeal of this tropical island which was seeing an uptick in the number of South African holidaymakers travelling to this destination amid the global pandemic. Mango Airlines announced that it would suspend all flights to the Indian Ocean island of Zanzibar from 25 April. The suspension of Mango’s scheduled flights between Johannesburg and Zanzibar reduces the appeal of this popular holiday destination.
While many countries have closed borders or have imposed onerous entry conditions on visitors, Zanzibar was proving popular with South Africans since no quarantine is required on arrival and the prerequisite COVID-19 tests required for re-entry to South Africa can easily be organised before departing from Zanzibar.
State-owned Mango Airlines operates a domestic route network, serving various cities within South Africa. Zanzibar is the only destination outside of South Africa that Mango was flying to.
Last year, local low-cost carrier FlySafair applied to the Air Services Licensing Council (ASLC) for permission to operate scheduled flights between Johannesburg and Zanzibar but in February the airline learned that its application for the Zanzibar route been denied. While Zanzibar may continue to remain a popular lockdown island escape due to its eased entry requirements, it will now take longer to reach the island.
Mango operated two weekly services between Johannesburg and Zanzibar – on Tuesdays and Sundays, with a flight time of around three-and-a-half hours. The absence of direct flights will make getting to the island escape more of a hassle.
