Flying Cape Town to Maputo in half the time – Airlink launches new route

Airlink officially launched its brand new Cape Town-Maputo direct route this week, effectively halving travel time between the two cities.

Airlink connects Cape Town and Maputo directly

This past Wednesday, 31 August 2022, saw Airlink launch their new direct route between Maputo and Cape Town, the first-ever direct air service between the two cities.

The first flight departed Cape Town on time at 17:10, arriving in Maputo at 19:40. The first return flight left Maputo at 06:10 yesterday, 1 September, and arrived in the Mother City at 09:00 sharp. This new route will initially be serviced with three return flights a week, on board a 37-seat Embraer 135 twin-engine jetliner, says Travel News.

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Industry heads “excited”

The launch was met with much enthusiasm from industry heads, with Airlink CEO and Managing Director, Rodger Foster, saying that the new route would do well for business and tourism.

“With this new Cape Town-Maputo service, Airlink is more than halving the travel time between two of the region’s major cities. By making it easier and more efficient for people to do business, Airlink will help to unlock fresh opportunities to boost tourism between the two markets,” Foster said.

“It is also in line with our strategy to increase our choice of connections from Cape Town with key business and tourism destinations throughout Southern Africa,” Foster added. 

Wesgro CEO, Wrenelle Stander, also expressed similar sentiments.

“Cape Town Air Access is excited to welcome Airlink’s inaugural flight between Maputo and Cape Town. This addition increases the carrier’s expansive regional network to a total of six destinations and 51 frequencies a week, making Airlink the carrier with the most cross-border frequencies operated out of Cape Town,” Stander said.

Mozambique is regarded as a market of note for Airlink, as they currently provide flights from Johannesburg to several areas in the country, including Maputo, Beira, Nampula, Pemba, Tete and Vilanculos, which the airline also serves directly from Mbombela.