South African Airways adds capacity on Victoria Falls route with wide-body aircraft

With the expansion of the Victoria Falls International Airport in Zimbabwe, South African Airways has increased capacity between Johannesburg and the popular leisure destination of Victoria Falls.

With the expansion of the Victoria Falls International Airport in Zimbabwe, South African Airways has increased capacity between Johannesburg and the popular leisure destination of Victoria Falls.

The recent introduction of Airbus A330-200 wide-body aircraft on the route, adds 60% more capacity in each direction, on a daily basis.

South African Airways Airbus A330-200 aircraft accommodates 222 passengers, in a dual-class configuration of 36 Premium Business Class seats and 186 Economy Class seats.


The flights between Johannesburg and Victoria Falls offer convenient connections to/from SAAโ€™s New York โ€“ John F. Kennedy International Airport and Washington, DC-Dulles International Airport flights providing easy access and the fastest service for North American travelers.

The launch of the Airbus A330-200โ€™s on this route is aligned with the increase in tourism demand to Zimbabwe and the recent completion of a $150 million investment to upgrade the facilities at the Victoria Falls International Airport, with the opening of a new terminal and other improvements to the airport infrastructure.

โ€œWe are pleased to bring the comfort and convenience of our AirbusA330-200 to Victoria Falls, as the first and only wide-body aircraft to serve the market on a scheduled basis,โ€ said Todd Neuman, executive vice president-the Americas for South African Airways. โ€œVictoria Falls is the leading Zimbabwean destination for North American travelers and this aircraft will enable SAA to accommodate the growth in tourism that the market is enjoying.โ€

โ€œThis is a new dawn for tourism with the arrival of SAAโ€™s daily wide-body aircraft in Victoria Falls,โ€ said Ross Kennedy, chief executive office of Africa Albida Tourism in Zimbabwe. โ€œThe additional seats that are being offered by SAA present a huge opportunity to increase visitors to the whole region.โ€

South African Airways, regional airline partner, Airlink will also be introducing new nonstop service between Cape Town and Victoria Falls beginning July 2, 2017. The new flights will operate 6-days per week with 37-passenger Embraer regional jets.

As one of the greatest attractions in Africa and one of the most spectacular waterfalls in the world, Victoria Falls is located on the Zambezi River, which defines the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia. Nicknamed โ€œThe Smoke That Thundersโ€, Victoria Falls is designated as one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, attracting over 500,000 tourists on an annual basis.

The Victoria Falls International Airport is also the gateway for Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA), which spans five Southern African countries and hosts many luxury safari lodges and game reserves throughout Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana and Namibia, which are frequented by travelers from North America.

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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