…
Jet Airways, India’s premier international airline, commenced daily non-stop flights from Mumbai to Johannesburg aboard a state-of-the-art Airbus 330-200 aircraft. The launch of this new international route marks the beginning of Jet Airways’ international network expansion to Africa.
The inaugural flight 9W 242 departed Mumbai at 0145 hours, and will arrive in Johannesburg at 0715 hrs. On the return leg, flight 9W 241 will depart Johannesburg at 1100 hrs, arriving in Mumbai at 2335 hrs.
Jet Airways will also offer its guests seamless onward connections to several destinations across South Africa, including Cape Town, Durban, Port Elizabeth, the famed Kruger National Park and East London.
Additionally, in conjunction with its daily non-stop service to Johannesburg, the airline has also introduced exclusive South African JetEscapes packages, which will enable tourists to explore the Rainbow Nation with its perfect blend of wildlife, luxury, adventure and picturesque landscapes.
In addition, Jet Airways will also offer guests enhanced connectivity across the African region. The airline will provide convenient and immediate onwards connections, via Johannesburg, to African cities like Harare, Victoria Falls, Windhoek, Livingstone, Mauritius, Lilongwe, Blantyre, Bulawayo, Gaborone, Maputo, Kinshasa, Lagos, Luanda and Lusaka, making Jet Airways India’s first private carrier to provide its guests with the dual benefits of seamless connectivity and significant savings for travel within the African continent.
According to Mr. Nikos Kardassis, CEO, Jet Airways, “Jet Airways is delighted to enter Africa with its daily Mumbai-Johannesburg service. South Africa’s reputation as a leading tourist and business destination, and the fact that it will play host to the 2010 FIFA World Cup also presents a huge opportunity for Jet Airways. With the airline’s world-class in-flight product, acclaimed service and unparalleled domestic network, we are confident of growing the South African, as indeed the African market, and emerging as among the leading carriers to the region from India".
"Given the strong linkages between India and South Africa, and the large number of people of Indian origin living in and working in South Africa, we believe that there is untapped potential and this new route promises to serve the needs of our discerning corporate and leisure flyers”, added Mr. Kardassis.
A truly diverse nation with 11 official languages, South Africa is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. From the deserts of the Kgalagadi to the lush green forests of Tsitsikamma to the unspoilt beaches of the wild coast to the vibrant nightlife of Cape Town, the country has something for every traveler.
It is also emerging as one of the leading business tourism and conference destinations in the world, and ranked 18thon the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Index as an attractive foreign investment destination.
Configured in two classes, with 30 seats in Premiere (Business Class) and 190 seats in Economy, Jet Airways’ spacious full-length wide-bodied twin aisle cabin of the A330-200 will truly make for a more pleasurable flying experience. The airline’s Premiere guests will enjoy a 180 degree flat bed with lumbar support and massage systems, oversized table, laptop power, telephony, SMS, Email and live text news to deliver a flying office, state-of-the-art On-Demand Panasonic In-Flight Entertainment (IFE), as well as the finest in-flight dining and service, among other amenities.
Johannesburg will be the twenty-third destination in the airline’s international network. Jet Airways currently flies to New York (both JFK and Newark), Toronto, Brussels, London (Heathrow), Hong Kong, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Colombo, Bangkok, Kathmandu, Dhaka, Kuwait, Bahrain, Muscat, Doha, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Jeddah, Sharjah, Dammam and Riyadh.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
