Airlink to resume flights to Madagascar, but when?

It’s been reported that Madagascar will soon allow Airlink to resume flights to and from the country and South Africa after a three-month ban.

Madagascar unbans South Africa

According to Daily Maverick, Madagascar’s Foreign Minister recently told South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa, that the Madagascan government would soon allow Airlink to resume flights to and from the island nation, after being banned for almost three months.

Prior to the pandemic, Airlink operated a daily return flight between Johannesburg and Antananarivo, Madagascar’s capital and its commercial hub. The local airline had also operated flights to Nosy Be on the island on a weekly seasonal basis. The carrier now says it intends to resume services on these two routes as soon as the ban on flights between South Africa and Madagascar has been lifted. 

Madagascar had put out a NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) earlier this year in April, specifically lifting all countries (other than South Africa) from the COVID-19 ban, which had been in place for two years. 

Rodger Foster, Airlink CEO and MD, says that the restriction on flights has been a major disappointment for everyone who either wants to travel between South Africa and Madagascar for business, leisure or to reconnect with relatives and friends who they have been unable to visit for the past two years.

“Similarly, it is a setback for trade between the two countries. We have received significant interest from people in South Africa, the island nation, our neighbouring countries and in North America, who are keen to book tickets. This ban and absence of any explanation for it by authorities in Antananarivo has been a source of great frustration for them,” Foster added.

Acccording to Daily Maverick, Foster suspected the main reason for the unfortunate ban was to put pressure on South Africa to return the 73.5kg of gold bullion that was confiscated from three Malagasy men who were arrested when they flew into Johannesburg international airport on 31 December 2020. 

The island nation has not yet specified an exact date for when Airlink could resume their operations.

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