‘Low cost does not mean low fare!’ This is why domestic flights are so expensive in South Africa

A few years ago, domestic air travel in South Africa was out of reach for many citizens due to its high costs. Compared to the rest of the world, South Africa’s commercial aviation sector has remained relatively small.

However, the arrival of no-frills airlines promised to make flying more accessible for price-conscious travellers, offering greater choice and making air travel affordable for more South Africans.

Despite this, independent low-cost carriers have faced significant challenges, particularly from established national airlines that benefit from government bailouts.

This has made it difficult for budget airlines to thrive, and many, including Comair’s Kulula.com, One Time, Mango, and Skywise, have ceased operations. As a result, ticket prices for domestic flights have once again risen sharply.

Since when is a round trip to Durban R2000+? 😂✋🏼

Low-cost carriers in South Africa operate in a difficult environment, which hampers their ability to lower fares. To remain viable, they need to maintain efficient schedules, often focusing on select destinations while offering basic in-flight services.

Another challenge is the demand for air travel as is not affordable for the majority of the population. Affordability is based on the amount of disposable income available to consumers and this impacts their ability to travel.

We did a price comparison for flying from Johannesburg to Cape Town for the weekend of October 17, returning on Monday October 21.

• Lift Airline: R5,435
• FlySafair: R5,592
• SAA: R5,854
• Airlink: R5,912

In comparison, a one-way ticket from Johannesburg to London Heathrow on Sunday October 6 with Etihad would cost R5,679, or Johannesburg to Athens with Qatar Airways comes in at R5,985.

Linden Birns, an airline expert at PR firm Plane Talking, explains:

“Low cost does not mean low fares, it’s about airlines reducing operational costs.”

These airlines typically use newer, more fuel-efficient aircraft that are cheaper to maintain. Additionally, they often operate from secondary airports like Lanseria International Airport, where lower fees help reduce operating costs.

The broader issue of limited intra-African flights and high costs has long restricted the airline industry growth across the continent. Unlike Europe, where Open Skies agreements and Fifth Freedom Rights allow low-cost carriers to reduce prices, Southern Africa’s restrictive regulations, high airport taxes, and lack of infrastructure place additional burdens on smaller airlines.

Raphael Kuuchi, vice-president for Africa at the International Air Transport Association (IATA), highlights the potential for economic growth if air travel were more accessible:

“If just 12 key African countries opened their markets and increased connectivity, they could create an additional 155,000 jobs and add R25 billion to their total annual GDPs.”

This begs the question as to why the Southern African airline industry and bureaucrats are not opening our skies to help bring down the costs of domestic and intra-African travel.

This, with the opening of more routes across the continent, can drive economic growth in the region, one day.

IOL Travel