Russian airline Nordwind may launch direct flights to South Africa. These flights are supposed to be flights Moscow-Johannesburg, and Moscow-Cape Town according to the South African Ambassador to Russia, Mzwakhe Jeff Maqetuka. TASS reported this information.
According to the ambassador, the issue of direct air travel between the two countries is not yet resolved, and “work on it continues.” The diplomat explained that by the beginning of 2022, Russia and South Africa were considering Nordwind as the primary carrier. “We are awaiting information on when the flights can be launched and whether it will still be Nordwind,” he said.
“We checked what Nordwind is and approved. It was planned to have four flights a week,” Maqetuka noted. “These were supposed to be flights Moscow-Johannesburg, Moscow-Cape Town.” The ambassador added that these are the latest details since there has been a pause in the negotiations on flight openings, and they remain relevant.
He mentioned that discussions on launching direct flights began in 2020. Initially, according to the decision of the Russian government, Aeroflot was supposed to be the carrier for these flights. Two years later, the company aspiring to this role changed, and new parameters for the final decision were worked out.
“We thought that now the process would start moving because flights to South Africa were supposed to become easier even in case of emergencies. Now this flight is a nightmare because it has to go through the Middle East, and it takes 14 hours in total. It’s torture. And you can imagine how it affects tourism, how it hinders it. So, at that time, it was Nordwind. Now the process has quieted down. But perhaps the Ministry of Transport in Russia is better informed about the situation,” the diplomat stated.
He also recalled the words of the Special Representative of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the head of the secretariat of the “Russia-Africa Partnership Forum,” Oleg Ozerov, who expressed hope for the swift launch of air travel between Russia and South Africa at a meeting of the Valdai Club in the middle of the previous year. “We maintained contact on this issue. And I think it’s worth asking Ambassador Oleg Ozerov about the current stage of launching direct flights,” Maqetuka concluded.
