High passenger demand forces flight frequencies on Lagos-Jo’burg route

In view of increased passenger traffic on the route, South African Airways (SAA) says it has increased its flight frequency between Lagos and Johannesburg from seven to eight services per week beginning from September 2014.

According to the airline, “strong passenger demand and an additional state-of- the-art A320 inducted to the fleet, are among the reasons that prompted SAA to add frequencies to its developing Lagos route.”

Speaking on the development, Thobi Duma, SAA country manager in Nigeria said: “SAA stands ready to offer seamless customer service to our valued passengers. This will ensure increased connectivity and better connecting times to flights in the evening out of Johannesburg.

“We are noting a steady growth and we maintain that the increases in frequency will provide both business and leisure passengers travelling to and from these destinations with more flexibility and greater choice to connect onto SAA’s extensive global network.”

Duma explained that owing to the increased frequencies, passengers connecting from Lagos to other cities such as Abuja will be able to connect without challenges as opposed to the current schedule where they spend the night in Lagos before connecting. 

Furthermore, passengers from South Africa will be afforded more time to engage in their activities before flying out at 23h00 on Tuesday nights.

“This is part of SAA’s ‘Gaining Altitude’ strategy to add flights in developing routes like Lagos and offering passengers convenient connections to the rest of the world. SAA will continue to look at new opportunities to add capacity to its existing network and further strengthen its brand presence around the world.

“As SAA, we are committed to be a catalyst for the growth of business and investment in Nigeria by ensuring that our passengers receive the comfort of flying with a very safe and secure carrier that has consistently been Africa’s most awarded airline, and recently voted by Skytrax as the Best Airline in Africa for 12 consecutive years,” she added. 

Meanwhile, the airline has said that its decision to continue to operate in West Africa is consistent with the position adopted by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

It explained that the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has addressed the fears of international travellers by indicating that there is no risk of catching the virus from a fellow passenger on a plane; because Ebola is not an airborne disease; as it only spreads from the direct contact of bodily fluids.

“At present WHO has not issued any travel restrictions to the region or closure of borders. South African Airways will apply all decisions and leads prescribed by WHO; as such SAA services to  Abidjan (Ivory Coast); Accra (Ghana); Cotonou (Benin); Dakar (Senegal) and Lagos (Nigeria) will  be maintained as scheduled.

“SAA advises passengers that all airline personnel are trained to respond to passengers who display the symptoms of being infected with the disease. Precautions include separating sick travellers from other passengers, covering faces with a surgical mask, having air personnel wear disposable gloves and more. Reporting potential sick passengers to our operations control; will be applied in accordance to IATA guidelines. 

Sade Williams