DIRECT flights connecting Durban to Lusaka, Zambia, have resumed from King Shaka International Airport.

Last week, ProFlight Zambia announced it will operate on Thursdays and Sundays with flights being introduced from Sunday, April 16.

The launch of the flights will provide a significant boost to the volume of travellers between Zambia and South Africa.

In 2021 and 2022, travel between the two destinations experienced a 38% growth, while over the same period, South Africa’s exports to Zambia grew by R1.6b, making Zambia among South Africa’s key trading partners within Southern Africa.

Also read: KZN welcomes return of SAA, Qatar flights to King Shaka Airport

Siboniso Duma, the MEC for Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs, said the new air service will undoubtedly play a role in strengthening the business links between the two destinations.

“The improved air connectivity will make it easier for businesses to travel between the two countries, facilitating even greater trade and investment,” Duma said.

Mayor of eThekwini, Mxolisi Kaunda, also expressed his excitement for ProFlight’s return.

“We are thrilled to have ProFlight flying back to Durban. As the tourism industry is gradually recovering, the resumption of these air services facilitates greater leisure and business travel into Durban. Growing intra-Africa travel is also a key component of our broader strategy to ensure competitiveness, which is further enabled by the addition of this air connectivity. We’re committed to growing our involvement in Durban Direct, through which we were able to acquire these new flights, in order to grow our programme of attracting new air services into the city.”

For more from Northglen News, follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. You can also check out our videos on our YouTube channel or follow us on TikTok.