23 January 2012
SAA to fly to Beijing
The first of SAA’s new nonstop flights to Beijing is due to take off from Johannesburg’s OR Tambo Airport on January 31. Beijing already attracts large numbers of South African corporate travellers and a growing number of tourists.
.“SAA is starting the route with an Airbus A340-600 with business class and economy class seats. Dileseng Koetle, the head of corporate affairs, said the first passengers were “a good mix of corporate and leisure travellers. However, business traffic predominates, given China’s growing economic presence in Africa.
“The Beijing flight will serve the northern, central and western areas of China, while Hong Kong serves the southern China and Pearl River delta areas, as well as providing connections to other important markets such as Japan, Korea and the Philippines.”
Michael Tatalias, CEO of SATSA said it would be important for SAA to time its arrivals and departures for connecting flights between Beijing and other cities in China by local airlines.