ROUTES AFRICA: Santaco Express Plans Bhisho – Johannesburg Launch

Posted 02/07/2011

A new domestic carrier backed by the South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) plans to launch low-cost flights between Bhisho, the capital of the Eastern Cape Province, to Johannesburg before the end of this year, adding flights to Cape Town at a later date.  The start-up plans to offer passengers the opportunity to include ground taxi transfers at both origin and destination within the price of the flight ticket.  “Our airline cost will have a flat fee structure, which will range between R500 and R600.” said Jabulani Mthembu, President, Santaco.

The announcement has surprised many locals given that the nation’s mini-bus taxi industry is not best known for its customer service or the quality of its drivers, a view that the company’s Business Development Officer, Nkululeko Buthelezi seems to share.  “I can see some of you rolling your eyes because of how our taxi drivers drive... I can assure you we won't allow our taxi drivers to drive [the planes],” he said during a recent interview highlighting Santaco’s plans.

The carrier will operate under the brand Santaco Express but will use crews and aircraft sourced from charter and ACMI provider AirQuarius Aviation.  It is expected to operate a single Fokker 100 and plans to serve Lanseira International Airport in Johannesburg, rather than the larger OR Tambo International Airport, launching flights from November.

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