Southern African airline Airlink plans to restart scheduled services between South Africa and Madagascar from January 30 following an almost three-year suspension.

The Johannesburg to Antananarivo service will restart with a single weekly flight at 10:00 on Mondays, increasing to three flights weekly from February 14, with the same schedule being implemented on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.

Airlink intends to reinstate daily services as demand increases.

Flights from Antananarivo to Johannesburg will depart at 15:00 on Mondays.

The resumption of flights linking Johannesburg with Antananarivo follows the lifting of Madagascar’s Covid-19 travel restrictions and its subsequent ban on air services to and from South Africa.

South Africa is an important source market and supply-chain link for Madagascar’s business and leisure tourism sector, with its Johannesburg-based OR Tambo International Airport being well positioned for Madagascar-based businesses and travellers to access destinations within Southern Africa and in conjunction with Airlink’s airline partners, destinations in the Americas, the UK and Europe.

Airlink will operate its modern and reliable flagship Embraer E-Jet airliners on the Johannesburg-Antananarivo route.

Airlink CEO and MD Rodger Foster says Airlink, as the designated South African carrier to Madagascar, welcomes the Madagascar government’s lifting of the prohibition which lets the airline re-establish these air services that are vitally important economic, trade and tourism connections between the two countries.

“We are looking forward to reconnecting South Africa with Madagascar and resuming our role in support of the recovery of ties between the two markets,” he adds.

Antananarivo, as Madagascar’s capital and main commercial and economic hub, is Airlink’s immediate priority.

The resumption of services to Nosy-Be will be considered in due course. Nosy-Be is an increasingly popular and unique Indian Ocean beach destination renowned for its pristine flora and unique fauna, which include whale sharks and lemurs.