Airlink to begin weekly flights between Johannesburg and Nosy Be
The weekly scheduled flights will resume on June 23, 2023, as part of its efforts to restore flights between South Africa and Madagascar to pre-pandemic levels.
Airlink, Southern Africa's leading airline, will resume weekly scheduled flights between Johannesburg and Nosy Be on June 23, 2023, as part of its efforts to restore flights between South Africa and Madagascar to pre-pandemic levels.
It comes after Airlink resumed flights to Madagascar's capital, Antananarivo, in January 2023, after the island republic removed a three-year-old ban on flights between the two countries.
“Having just recently re-established connectivity between Johannesburg and Antananarivo, which is a predominantly business and trade route, Airlink is preparing to re-ignite tourism between the two countries by restarting its popular Nosy Be service. In addition to visitors from Southern Africa, Airlink will be making Nosy Be more accessible than before thanks to the convenience and variety of connections with Airlink and its growing family of more than 20 global airline partners, via our main hub at O.R. Tambo International Airport. By reinstating the route, we are giving our customers yet another great destination to choose from,” explained Rodger Foster, CEO and Managing Director, Airlink.
Nosy Be is a one-of-a-kind Indian Ocean island located off Madagascar's northwestern coast. It is well-known for its beautiful beaches and diverse fauna and flora, including the world-famous lemurs. Prior to the pandemic, it had grown in popularity among South African visitors. Nosy Be (Malagasy for "Big Island") is also perfect for outdoor adventure and water sports vacations in a non-commercialized setting.
Airlink provides a significant complimentary 15kg sports equipment allowance in addition to the 20kg Economy Class checked-luggage limit to let travellers take advantage of Nosy Be's world-class scuba diving, snorkelling, kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding and sport fishing.
South Africa is a major source market for Madagascar's leisure tourist sector, with Johannesburg's O.R. Tambo International Airport conveniently positioned for connecting flights with Airlink and partner airlines to and from Southern Africa, the Americas, the United Kingdom, Europe, and Asia.
The Nosy Be route will be operated by Airlink's contemporary Embraer E-170 twin-engine jetliners.
The service will resume on Sundays on June 23, 2023, with a once-weekly flight. Furthermore, Airlink now provides three weekly flights between Johannesburg and Antananarivo, which will be expanded to a daily service when demand allows.