Great news for those wanting to travel between Durban and Harare. There are now direct flights from Durban to Harare on Airlink’s modern Embraer ERJ135 aircraft.
Southern Africa’s premier airline, Airlink, launched its inaugural flight between Harare, Zimbabwe and King Shaka International Airport in Durban, South Africa on the 5th of April, 2022.
Durban Direct, the KZN Route Development Committee, arranged a fitting water cannon salute as the plane touched down with a full load of passengers.
Direct Flights to Harare from South Africa
This brand-new Durban-Harare route linking the two cities will be the Airlink’s third direct service to Zimbabwe’s capital, along with flights from Johannesburg and Cape Town.
The flights operate three time a week on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.
Having non-stop flights on the route means greater convenience and options for travellers who want to save time and avoid connecting in Johannesburg.
Benefits for South Africa
KwaZulu-Natal will see a massive boost in tourism and this new route will open more doors not only in Zimbabwe, but also to the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region, which will help grow investment and tourist numbers from the network.
This marks a signal to the world, especially to regional and international leisure travellers, that there is easy accessibility to KwaZulu-Natal, particularly with direct flights into Durban from Qatar Airlines, South African Airways, Emirates and now Turkish Airlines.
Zimbabwean – South African Relations
Zimbabwe is one of South Africa’s key trading partners. According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, South Africa’s exports increased by 10,6% from R3,5 billion to R3,87 billion and imports increased by an impressive 85,8% from R156 million to R290 million (year-on-year to November 2021).
Rodger Foster, Airlink Chief Executive Officer, underscored the commercial and tourism importance of Durban and Harare, which were key Airlink markets.
“We believe that our new service will promote commerce and tourism between the cities, as well as KZN and Zimbabwe. Non-stop flights are popular because they are more convenient and save time for travellers,” he said.
