BA6948

According to this article, it seems that South Africans are confident BA might launch flights to Durban. https://www.iol.co.za/business-repor...ondon-13265286
what do you think?

OpenSky

Well considering BA flies not one but two flights to JNB. Mind you on A380s. Two A380s
I have always wondered why two A380s are needed, because the planes are not that full. I'm assuming cargo.

stewaran

If it was cargo the 747 would make.more senae.

J and F seem to be pretty full on this route

Nils21

QR flies it 787 to JNB and then to a connecting service on to DUR...I don't see where an A380 could be filled domestically to DUR or that the passenger numbers to DUR would justify an own A350/B787 from London.
Bear in mind that the vast majority of travellers arrive into JNB.

flyphilrun

BA already has a domestic South African network (operated by Comair and Kulula), so I don't see the need to do an A380 connection to DUR. However direct flights from DUR to LON would surely be viable I should think.
ET, QR, TK, EK and MU all fly direct to Durban (as well as JNB and CPT)

Stewie Mac

You must not be on the JNB flights that I'm on then - always rammed!

Nils21

Keep in mind that JNB-CPT is one of the busiest domestic routes in the world and I believe number one in Africa.

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corporate-wage-slave

BA certainly used to fly to Durban. My first ever visit to South Africa was on BA55, which used to leave Terminal 4 at 22:00 on Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sundays and get to Durban International Airport the next day at 12:20 . The return flight would leave around 19:30 hrs, again direct to London. Crews used to be based at the Beach Hotel by Palmer Street, which was then a full service hotel, and it was a favourite trip for them - in the days of Apartheid, given that BA's crews were fairly diverse, places like Johannesburg and even Cape Town were quite difficult places to visit for some crew. Durban was to a degree in its own zone, with "the season" when groups of younger (mainly but not only white) people would escape their parents from rural South Africa and universities at the beginning of summer for a few weeks by the sea.

I well recall leaving a snowy Heathrow, waking up in Durban, the 747 door opening and a blast of tropical air would roll down the aircraft. Long time ago!

Sixth Freedom

Definitely not because EK have the longhaul market sewn up.

Cymro

Would a day rotation (a la KLM) be viable with ComAir connections? Would make economy a lot more pleasant!

shefgab

Last year I flew DUR-JNB-DOH-LHR on QR, and the first sector DUR-JNB was empty....maybe 20 pax on the 787. Full out of JNB though. That could be down to yield management, or lack of customers. EK had a 77W leaving at the same time which looked quite busy.

I imagine BA know the sorts of pax numbers connecting to DUR from their CPT and JNB service, so would be able to tell if a direct service was viable. Maybe a one stop via somewhere like HRE would work? The Comair flights I've taken from JNB-HRE have all been fairly busy.

BA235

ajeleonard

Ethiopian are not know to be fussy about yield - for example they fly Addis-Chengdu, a destination from which BA could not get sufficient yield from London, the world's largest financial and business hub. Yet, Durban was too low yield even for them and they pulled out. Draw whatever conclusion you wish.

signol

Durban being a much more leisure / VFR route, this would probably make more sense.
We visit annually (wife's from there, family still there) and this would be hugely beneficial. Note that most visitors would fly to JNB and buy separate tickets on to DUR, so "London-Durban" ticket sales are not necessarily representative of total traffic.

signol

signol

It was a 3x weekly 737, I used it last year. About half full in Y. Problem there would be that not many South Africans (at least none of my family there) would "risk" flying Ethiopian. Anyway, it's my understanding that the route is reverting to seasonal, rather than year round.

signol