Summary

  • FlySafair, a South African low-cost carrier, operates 15 destinations in six countries with 23 routes, including Cape Town, Durban, and Johannesburg hubs.
  • The airline has interline partners with major international airlines, such as Air France-KLM, Qatar Airways, Emirates, Kenya Airways, Ethiopian Airlines, and Proflight Zambia.
  • FlySafair’s top international routes include Johannesburg to Harare, Johannesburg to Port Louis, and Johannesburg to Zanzibar.

South African low-cost carrier FlySafair is a subsidiary of Safair and operates several routes across Sub-Saharan Africa. The airline was established in August 2013 before commencing operations in October 2014. This year marks ten years of operation for the airline.

FlySafair operates from three main bases: Cape Town International Airport (CPT), Johannesburg O. R. Tambo International Airport (JNB), and Durban’s King Shaka International Airport (DUR). Next time you’re taking to the skies in Africa, look for the airline’s slogan, ‘For The Love Of Flying.’.

FlySafair Boeing 737

Photo:  Nicolas JvRensburg | Shutterstock

The airline was initially destined to start flying in October 2023; however, an interim court order prevented the airline from beginning operations. An application from rival airlines claimed that the airline did not meet the legal requirements of 75% local ownership, which required substantial restructuring of the airline. The airline could take flight 12 months later with its first revenue passengers.

A refresh of branding

By 2017, the airline was celebrating its fifth anniversary of operations. The airline partnered with the South African Rugby Union (SARU), making FlySafair the official domestic carrier for the Springboks and SA Rugby. This deal was then extended again for four years in February 2020. More recently, the airline rebranded, and their livery and logos changed in October 2022. Check it out below:

Six countries and counting

Initially launching operations with a permit for ten daily services between Cape Town and Johannesburg, the airline’s reach has now grown to 15 destinations in six countries, with 23 routes, which include:

Mauritius

  • Port Louis

    • Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport (MRU)

Mozambique

  • Maputo

    • Maputo International Airport (MPM)

South Africa

  • Bloemfontein

    • Bram Fischer International Airport (BFN)
  • Cape Town

    • Cape Town International Airport (CPT) – Hub
  • Durban

    • King Shaka International Airport (DUR) – Hub
  • East London

  • George

  • Mbombela

    • Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport (MQP)
  • Gqeberha

    • Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport (PLZ)
  • Johannesburg

    • O. R. Tambo International Airport (JNB) – Hub
  • Lanseria

    • Lanseria International Airport (HLA)
Johannesburg, South africa - January 22, 2022 - FLysafair Plane from Cape town to Johannesburg
Photo:  paul saad | Shutterstock

Tanzania

  • Zanzibar

    • Abeid Amani Karume International Airport (ZNZ)

Zambia

  • Livingstone

    • Harry Mwanga Nkumbula International Airport (LVI)

Zimbabwe

  • Harare

    • Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport (HRE)
  • Victoria Falls

    • Victoria Falls Airport (VFA)

To aid the airline’s growth and passenger numbers, it has interline partners with Air France-KLM, Qatar Airways, Emirates, Kenya Airways, Ethiopian Airlines, and Proflight Zambia.

Top international routes

With data from Cirium, an online aviation analytics company, Simple Flying analyzed the data and identified the carrier’s top international routes this July. Did you know that the airline’s second-most-served route was to Mauritius?

Johannesburg to Harare – 1st place

The route between the biggest city in South Africa and the capital of Zimbabwe is served daily onboard the carrier’s Boeing 737-400 variant of aircraft. With 165 seats in each direction, the route will have 5,115 seats in each direction this July. This translates to 3,038,310 available seat miles (ASMs) for the route, just 594 miles as the crow flies.

Johannesburg to Port Louis – 2nd place

The second most served route for the South African carrier is to the Mauritian capital of Port Louis. At 1,908 miles as the crow flies, it’s also the airline’s longest route and is served 13 times in July with a thrice weekly service. FlySafair deploys its larger Boeing 737-800 for the service and adds 2,457 seats in each direction, resulting in 4,687,956 ASMs.

Johannesburg to Zanzibar – 3rd place

This flight to the Spice Island is also among FlySafair’s top five busiest international routes, with the airline adding nine rotations in July. Served by the 737-800, the route will have 1,701 seats in each direction (2,636,550 ASM). The distance between JNB and ZNZ is 1,550 miles.

FlySafair Boeing 737 Johannesburg OR Tambo

Photo: FlySafair

Johannesburg to Livingstone – 4th place

With two services a week, July will see nine rotations. Served by the 737-400, the route adds 165 seats per flight, which translates to 1,485 in total this month. The distance between the two cities is 593 miles from gate to gate, which translates to 880,605 ASMs.

Johannesburg to Victoria Falls – 5th place

Lastly, there is the connection to Victoria Falls, which shuttles many tourists to one of the world’s largest waterfalls. FlySafair provides a twice-weekly connection between the two airports onboard a 737-400 aircraft. This adds 1,320 seats in each direction available to purchase, translating to 759,000 available seat miles. The distance between the two airports is just 575 miles, making it the shortest flight on the list.

FlySafair fleet

According to data retrieved from ch-Aviation, an online aviation database, FlySafair, under the Safair umbrella, operates the following fleet of aircraft:

Aircraft

Active

Parked

Average age

B737-400

3

2

30.6 years

B737-400(C)

1

30.9 years

B737-800

26

2

18 years

Total

30

4

26.5 years

Johannesburg / South Africa - March 19 2019: FlySafair Boeing 737 ZS-SJV at O. R. Tambo Airport. B737 of low cost airline. Fly Safair operates domestic flights. Air travel in South Africa.

Photo: Thiago B Trevisan | Shutterstock

These aircraft can accommodate between 165 and 189 passengers onboard, and while the carrier is low-cost, you can purchase a range of snacks and drinks. The airline is cashless, meaning all purchases must be made with a debit/credit card or a snack voucher (which can be purchased at the booking stage).

Have you traveled with FlySafair? Tell us about your experience in the comments.

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