South African private-sector regional airline Airlink announced on Thursday that it was, with effect from April 1, increasing the number of flights on two of its regional services. The routes concerned are between Johannesburg and Maputo, Mozambique, and Johannesburg and Lubumbashi, in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). 

“Since launching the services linking Johannesburg with Maputo and with Lubumbashi last October and November respectively, we have seen a steady increase in passenger traffic on those two routes,” explained Airlink CEO and MD Rodger Foster. “This reflects an uptick in trade and economic activity between South Africa, Mozambique and the DRC. By increasing our schedule on these routes we will cater to the increased demand while providing more choices to customers wanting to travel to destinations across South Africa and throughout Southern Africa.”

Passengers flying on these routes will be able to seamlessly connect with Airlink’s operations to Cape Town and Durban, as well as with other centres in South Africa and Southern Africa. The company serves more than 25 South African domestic destinations and more than 20 regional destinations in Southern Africa.

Airlink cautions that it is essential that passengers comply with the regulations put in place by South Africa, Mozambique and the DRC to counter the spread of Covid-19. Travellers must inform themselves of the latest such regulations.

The health and safety of its passengers and personnel is the airline’s number one priority, it assures. The cabins of its airliners are fitted with high efficiency particulate air (Hepa) filters, which block 99.97% of particulate matter, including the coronavirus which causes Covid-19. The Hepa filters continually sterilise the air in the cabins, which is also completely changed every three minutes.

On those of its international flights within Southern Africa operated by its Embraer E-jet aircraft, the airline can offer business class seats arranged on a ‘two plus one’ configuration, a 30 kg check-in baggage allowance, priority boarding and complimentary beverages and meals. Economy class also has no middle seats, just window and aisle seating, and provides a free check-in baggage allowance of 20 kg (with a further 15 kg sporting equipment allowance) and a complimentary light meal.