British Airways has removed Durban from its routes indefinitely. The carrier will no longer operate from London to the KwaZulu-Natal city as of March 28, 2021 as it is reducing its network after experiencing extended financial pressure.
‘We are sorry that, like other airlines, due to the current coronavirus pandemic and global travel restrictions we are operating a reduced and dynamic schedule,’ the UK airline said according to The Independent.
A host of other cities have fallen away too, including Pittsburg (US), Charleston (US), Calgary (Canada), Dammam (Saudi Arabia), Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), Osaka (Japan), Seoul (Republic of Korea), Abu Dhabi (UAE), Lima (Peru) and Muscat (Oman).
The UK carrier will no longer fly between London and Durban.
This will add to the woes of the already strained tourism industry in South Africa. Just ahead of the festive season and the country’s usually busiest tourist month, South Africa is experiencing an official second wave of COVID-19 which has brought about a reinstatement of several restrictions.
England in particular is a large contributor to South Africa’s international traffic as many residents have families and friends in the UK.
According Business Tech, a 2019 survey recorded a massive 255,000 South Africans living in England and WesGro noted around 400,000 British tourists visit South Africa each year.
The UK was also among South Africa’s top five tourism source markets before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Picture: Getaway gallery
