FLY MANGO CONNECTING NELSON MANDELA BAY BAY WITH LANSERIA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

Mango Airlines introducing new route from Lanseria to Port Elizabeth

Effective 11th July 2019, Fly Mango will operate two flights a day between Nelson Mandela Bay’s Port Elizabeth Airport and Lanseria International airport aboard Boeing 737-800 series. The service is expected to capture a mix of Visiting Family & Relatives (VFR), business and leisure traveller originating around Greater Johannesburg, the Gauteng province and beyond. Lanseria International Airport offers a gateway to the North, which covers ‘the cradle of humankind and Sun City’

This will further expand and diversify Port Elizabeth’s destination offering in our quest to build a true industrial, lifestyle and living city. From the onset, our Airlift strategy identified Lanseria as one of the “low hanging opportunities”, and within one year we have managed to secure the air travel link. Furthermore, we understand that airlift is critical for seamless flow of trade and tourism, thus our Airlift strategy has identified Kruger Mpumalanga including the catchment, Zimbabwe, and Namibia as the potential markets the collective (the City, ECDC, Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber, and ACSA) will be pursuing to link with Nelson Mandela Bay in the next 12 to 24 months”

The addition of a new destination is a result of a collaborative airlift work between the City, Eastern Cape Development Corporation, Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber, Lanseria International Airport and Airports company South Africa, operated by Mango Airlines to offer travellers an alternative point linking Gauteng province with Nelson Mandela Bay.

Marelize Labuschagne, acting CEO at Mango Airlines says: “We are very excited to finally launch this route – an enormous amount of work has been done to increase our network out of Lanseria. This additional route is a win for both cities, and Mango is privileged to be a part of boosting local tourism.  At a time when our economy needs stimulating Mango has set its sights on unlocking the immense social and economic value that tourism provides.”

Labuschagne adds, “We are expecting that the route will capture a combination of business and leisure travellers originating from the Southern and Northern parts of Johannesburg, the wider Gauteng province and beyond. Port Elizabeth is the gateway to the Garden Route and a highly populated tourist area so we are expecting this to be a popular network choice.”

Economic Development, Tourism and Agriculture Executive Director at the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, Mr Anele Qaba says:”Access to Nelson Mandela Bay and the cost thereof was identified as barriers to tourism and economic growth within the region. To unlock the full tourism potential air access needed to be prioritised in order to make it easier and more affordable for visitors to explore Nelson Mandela Bay.”

“It is thus with great excitement that the NMB Airlift Steering committee can announce that Mango Airlines has launched a new route from Lanseria International Airport to Port Elizabeth International Airport starting on the 11th of July 2019.”

“With Quarter one of 2019 showing favourable growth on the domestic travel front, the latest Mango route will further enhance our plans to increase domestic travel,” commented South African Tourism Acting CEO, Sthembiso Dlamini. 

“When compared to the period time last year, holidays trips have increased by 60,5% and we are confident that the latest route between Lanseria International Airport and Port Elizabeth Airport will influence these figures positively.”

This route is a great opportunity to showcase the wonderful tourism experiences and products in the Eastern Cape and Nelson Mandela Bay areas with the region growing as an Ocean Safari destination,” concluded Dlamini. 

About Nelson Mandela Bay Airlift
Nelson Mandela Bay Airlift project was formed in July 2018 by Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan, Airport Company South Africa, Nelson Mandela Business Chamber, and Eastern Cape Development Corporation to facilitate seamless flow of trade and tourism between Nelson Mandela Bay, national and regional destinations. It is to this end that Airlift main mandate is to pursue potential air route opportunities with prospective airline partners to link the city and enhance the regional as well as the global competitiveness.

Contact Details: airlift@mandelametro.gov.za