BA to add new flights to South Africa From May 2009

British Airways’ South Africa routes are doing well despite the current global slowdown, and the airline will be adding five more flights between Johannesburg and London for 2010, says BA chairman Martin Broughton.

“The immediate outlook for our South African routes is reasonably encouraging, and the 2010 World Cup should bolster demand from at least mid-2009,” Broughton said at the opening of the airline’s new lounges at OR Tambo International Airport at the weekend.

“We will up our current double-daily Johannesburg/London flights to 19 a week from May next year, and will operate our expanded Cape Town schedule over the South African summer peak from the end of October”.

Broughton said that despite the current challenges, “we remain absolutely focused on the interests of our customers”.

The combination of declining demand due to the global economic downturn, oil prices and a fall in consumer confidence had created the “perfect storm” for BA to soar, he said.