Pretoria – Airlink flight, SA8673, took off from Wonderboom Airport on Sunday, 16 August, marking the launch of scheduled services between Pretoria and Cape Town. At a ceremony hosted at the airport, the inaugural flight was described as a historic and momentous occasion for the people of the capital city.
The joint venture between South African Airways and SA Airlink will operate three flights daily between 6am and 10pm, and significantly reduce travel time and costs for local residents travelling to and from the Mother City.
The service is expected to offer air travellers in the capital and surrounds convenience (passengers will enjoy free Wi-Fi at the airport), shorter travel times, cheaper fares (especially during peak-hour times) and shorter aircraft-boarding and disembarking time than at any other airport in the country. Approximately 40 percent of domestic users of Oliver Tambo International Airport live within a radius of 25km around Wonderboom.
It is hoped that the scheduled flights will boost tourism to benefit guest houses, lodges and B&Bs in Wonderboom and its surrounds. Manufacturing sectors located within the catchment, such as the automotive industry and various diplomatic missions and NGO’s, should also benefit.
