Low-cost carrier FlySafair will launch its first international flights with a service to Mauritius, which will start on December 11.

• The twice-weekly service will operate out of OR Tambo International Airport every Tuesday and Saturday.
• FlySafair will operate its existing Boeing 737-800 aircraft on the route.
• Airfares on the new route start from R4’950, available from September 2021.
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One of South Africa’s most loved tropical holiday destinations reopened again following a recent announcement by the Mauritian government that the island would be welcoming back South African’s – how exciting.

With national carriers from both South Africa and Mauritius having taken severe financial strain over the pandemic months, in steps low-cost carrier FlySafair to offers travelers a way to get to those turquoise waters and pina colada beaches this December. The airline was granted the right to operate in Mauritius in December of 2020 already, but the second and third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic halted launch plans.

In just about 7 years we’ve managed to gain a fairly strong footprint in the South African domestic market. Finally breaking beyond local borders is an exciting milestone for us. Mauritius holds a special place in the hearts of South Africans, and we’re so looking forward to offering flights just in time for the December holiday season.

// CEO of FlySafair, Elmar Conradie

So how is it going to work? On Saturdays and Tuesdays, FlySafair flight FA800 will depart OR Tambo International Airport at 9am and arrive in Mauritius at 3:15pm (local time). On return, FlySafair flight FA801 will depart Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport at 4:15pm and land at 6:30pm (SAST). Total flight times will be approximately 4 hours, and flights will be direct with no stops.

We’re excited to take the same affordable, hassle-free and on-time model we use locally, and transfer that onto an international route.

// CEO of FlySafair, Elmar Conradie

Standard fares will include a 20kg checked luggage allowance, and customers will have the option to upgrade their flight experiences with added extras like pre-selected seats, priority boarding, and extra luggage. The airline will also be selling tickets in its new Business Class solution where middle seats between aisle and window passengers are blocked for added comfort and privacy.

Before closing its borders in early 2020 to stop the spread of Covid-19, Mauritius counted South Africa as one of its top five tourist markets. According to Statistics Mauritius, over 118’000 South Africans visited the island in 2019. Now, with travel restrictions having relaxed in stages and the island accepting South African tourists again, its once-thriving tourism industry will get a much-needed boost.

The losses suffered by the airline industry have been great, but as the world continues to open up, it offers us hope that we’ll be able to rebuild.

// CEO of FlySafair, Elmar Conradie

FlySafair most recently introduced a Business Class fare offering to its corporate passengers, launched a new route between Cape Town and Bloemfontein, built an app, and added a packaged holiday offering.

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