The history books will remind us that the seventies in this country were not synonymous with attracting investors. Still, the idea sparked interest and in 1996, Jane Davidson and Jackie Adami bought the business in its entirety from then-owner Eberhard Gennrich. Gennrich had been at the helm for 25 years, but before that, DP had boasted a very esteemed list of owners, including its founder, Mr John Foggitt from TFC Tours, American Express, Southern Sun and Nedbank.

Fifty years later, the initial business principles remain our core focus. We acknowledge that this company is built on outstanding affiliations with our principals, travel partners and staff. Two of the three Directors, Jane Davidson and Jackie Adami, have worked for DP for 41 and 36 years respectively, and have consistently nurtured the trilateral affiliations.

While we’re proud of where we have been, we are excited about where we are going.

‘FAST’ has seen the business through some of the most devastating economic conditions. Our stakeholders have realised that without truly understanding its meaning, we ‘pivoted’ the company to the point of a breakthrough. When good sense cautioned us about economic uncertainties, a third Director was invited into the business. Robyn Christie, well known in the travel industry with a proven track record, happens to be a perfect complement to an already balanced leadership team. This female partnership has SMART written all over it and coupled with the FAST approach, the next chapter is positioned for prominence.

It is no surprise that our travel partners believe that ‘if no one else does it, DP will!’ Over the years, we have acquired and retained the conventions to represent several esteemed brands, which has resulted in DP positioning an extensive range of products and services in the travel market. Many are exclusive to us, which has fuelled this ‘DP will’ reputation. The promise of achievement that we make to our principals guides our strategy in the southern African travel market.

The extent of our tenure has determined the development of these remarkable brands. Embracing our position as leading specialists in the market ensures that we recruit, develop and retain our skills and resources to meet the standards set out by our Principals and the relationships we have nurtured with our cruise, airline, touring, and beach partners have withstood decades of association and a global pandemic. It is with undeniable pride that our appointment by United Airlines, G Adventures, Holland America, Hurtigruten, Costa Cruises, and NCL, to name a few, has earned these companies visibility and the utmost respect within this market.

It seems appropriate that we are surfacing from a harrowing hiatus in our 50th year of operation. There is a memorable sense of humility that will define us for many years to come. At the same time, we brim with anticipation of a future that will be built on sound experience and courageous possibilities.

This female-led business will celebrate its golden anniversary with jubilation! It is the inventive approach to the future of DP that drives our excitement and preparation for the decades to come.

This is in addition to the airline’s flights currently being operated from O.R. Tambo International Airport.

The Lanseria departure will allow for internal connections from Durban and Cape Town.

The estimated departure time from Lanseria International Airport is 09h50, which would allow for Durban and Cape Town connections, and arrives in Zanzibar at 14h15.

The return flight will depart the island at 15h05 and arrive at Lanseria at 18h05.

The aircraft is a Boeing Next Generation 737-800 from the Mango fleet that is currently being fitted with the Split Scimitar Winglet technology.

But Luane Lavery, Brand Communication Manager for kulula.com, makes a convincing argument for considering Lanseria International Airport as alternative for your next visit.

For a start, the airport has undergone a massive investment in expansion, including a much-expanded parking garage and retail precinct. Airside, the duty-free section has been expanded. The SLOW XS transit lounge has proved popular with travellers looking for a luxurious space, away from the hubbub of the main concourse. www.lanseria.co.za

The lounge is a variation on the SLOW facilities at other South African airports and at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Sandton; somewhere to relax, catch up on work and have a drink and something to eat. Its menu focuses on small-scale local produce and hand-selected ingredients. www.slow.co.za

“At LIA we pride ourselves on service delivery and personal service. In a world where time is money, we’ll make sure you can spend more time at your destination. The airport has the shortest travel time from terminal to car-park and there’s a complimentary shuttle service if you don’t want to mess up your heels.

“If you’re a business traveller with an important meeting on your mind, porters and a fast check-in service will get you airside and into the lounge quickly, with complimentary coffee and wifi to help you focus and work. It’s also a great space for keeping youngsters occupied if you’re travelling with family.

“Travellers using Lanseria also know that it’s against the flow of traffic from Centurion and Joburg’s northern and western suburbs. It’s also handy if you’re flying in for a meeting in Sandton: baggage collection is quick, so just rent a vehicle or take a taxi service and you’ll generally be there in under 40 minutes,” Lavery adds.

But it’s not just what’s in the airport that makes it a good choice, she says. Its position between two major cities is useful for business and leisure travellers alike. The Cradle of Humankind is just 15 minutes’ drive from Lanseria, says Lavery. It’s an enormously important paleoanthropological site, home to around 40% of the world’s human ancestor fossils. Apart from superb interactive exhibits, the facility also offers fine dining, some adventure sports and game viewing. See www.cradleofhumankind.net

Lanseria is also a 40-minute drive to Pretoria and less that two hours’ drive from Sun City. A fairly direct route on two major motorways gets you to the Kruger National Park in under five hours.

“You’ll hate yourself if you miss one of South Africa’s great springtime sights, when Pretoria’s 70 000 Jacaranda trees explode into bloom,” says Lavery, who suggests parking your hired car at the famed Union Buildings and strolling eastward along Government Avenue. This is one of the few thoroughfares with double rows of Jacarandas, planted to shade civil servants as they walked to the seat of government.

Pretoria can be sweltering in summer, but in spring it’s mild and welcoming to civil servants – shady or not – and visitors. Lavery suggests the following:

Pretoria Zoo by night: between September in March, visitors can see the nocturnal behaviour of many fascinating creatures, with a one-hour guided walk as evening sets in. Braai fires are available for those who’d like to end the evening with a traditional dop and chop. Facilities are also available to camp overnight at the zoo. See www.nzg.ac.za
Pretoria also has a burgeoning markets scene, including the Market @ The Sheds, run by a non-profit collective focusing on urban renewal in the Pretoria CBD. It offers fashion, live music, good wine, cocktails and coffee, and a pop-up art exhibition.
Hazel Food Market focuses, as the name suggests, on good grub, with around 80 stalls – mostly operated by the folk who produce the fare – and trestle tables under trees in Greenlyn Village Centre in Menlyn Park. It’s open on Saturday mornings and some evenings. There are play facilities for kids. https://showme.co.za/pretoria/events-entertainment/hazel-food-market-3/ Pretoria Boermark: This is a firm locals’ favourite, where those selling traditional produce are mostly the farmers themselves. Expect traditional flavourful, aromatic traditional fare including handmade yoghurt, rusks, preserves and herbs, as well as fresh meat. Apart from the food, you can also buy jewellery woodwork and clothing. http://www.pretoriaboeremark.co.za/

The rankings are based on an analysis of more than 800 000 individual trips booked on Travelstart.co.za since the start of 2017.

Top 5 International Destinations 2018

1. Harare (Zimbabwe)
2. London (UK)
3. Windhoek (Namibia)
4. Mauritius
5. New York City (U.S.A.)

For the first time, Harare tops the list of most popular international destinations for flights originating in South Africa in 2018. While the top spots were always held by London (2014 and 2017) and Windhoek (2015 and 2016), Harare’s breakout growth this year may be a result of the changing political climate in Zimbabwe.

London remains an important tourism and business air route for South Africans and has seen increased capacity with British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and SAA offering direct flights between Heathrow Airport and South Africa. From October 2018, BA will launch direct flights between Durban and London marking the first time three of South Africa’s largest airports are served with non-stop connections to Heathrow at the same time.

Despite being a long-haul destination (16 hours one way from Johannesburg), New York City has become a top five contender for the first time in 2018 moving past Dubai which is operated by Emirates direct from Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban daily.

Top 5 Domestic Destinations 2018

1. Cape Town
2. Johannesburg (O.R. Tambo Airport)
3. Durban
4. Johannesburg (Lanseria Airport)
5. Port Elizabeth

Since 2014, there has been little movement in the domestic category with Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban maintaining their first, second and third place rankings respectively for the past 4 years. In 2017, George Airport (GRJ) exited the top 10 domestic destinations list after appearing consecutively in 2015 and 2016.

Lanseria, South Africa’s fourth largest airport by passenger numbers, has moved up the rankings in the past two years owing to increased capacity and a runaway upgrade in 2013. South Africa’s dominant low-cost carriers, Mango Airlines, kulula and FlySafair, operate flights to Lanseria. kulula initiated its Lanseria operations in 2006, Mango followed in 2010 and FlySafair in 2016. In May, Lanseria announced plans to double its passenger numbers to more than 4 million within the next six years.

Routes on the Rise

Flights to London Heathrow from Johannesburg increased by 88% between 2014 and 2017 and regional destinations such as Windhoek and Harare increased by 51% and 118% respectively.

International routes between Cape Town and the UK and Namibia have seen noticeable increases since 2014.

CPT – LHR bookings increased by 62% between 2014 and 2017
CPT – WDH bookings increased by 107% between 2014 and 2017
CPT – WVB bookings increased by 219% between 2014 and 2017

As Durban’s King Shaka Airport has attracted more international carriers, outbound passenger numbers have increased with Dubai (+273%) and London (+118%) showing the most growth between 2014 and 2017.

Last year, Lanseria, which is South Africa’s fourth largest airport by passenger numbers among 21 significant local airports, moved just over 1.9 million passengers last year, and by 2022 that is forecast to grow to just over four million passengers.

This would likely see Lanseria surpass King Shaka International Airport in Durban as the country’s third-largest airport behind the Cape Town and OR Tambo airports.

The airport is planning to increase its numbers to six million passengers by 2027, and by 2050, it is eyeing an expansion to 18 million passengers a year.

To achieve the envisaged growth, the Lanseria terminal building and parking space will have to be expanded, the airport’s fuel farm and technical facilities will have to be relocated and its general infrastructure will have to be upgraded.

“There is vacant land where we can develop a hotel as well as an office building,” Rammopo said.

The airport has just completed its first desktop plan of the expansion, he added.

Rammopo said currently, the airport only catered for domestic routes. The commercial flights that depart from Lanseria, which was established in 1974, are mainly those bound for either Cape Town or Durban but also George, he added.

Three budget airlines operate flights from Lanseria: Mango Airlines, Kulula and FlySafair. Commercial airlines have been flying from Lanseria since 2006 when Kulula set up its operations there, Mango followed in 2010 and FlySafair in 2016.

“Our vision is to be a regional airport catering mainly for the SA Development Community and the sub-Saharan region.”

Lanseria is in talks with Air Namibia, Kenya Airways, Air Mauritius and Air Botswana to fly to and from the airport.

An issue that Lanseria has received complaints about is the cost of the airport’s long-term parking.

“We did an exercise as we had guys calling in to say that we must do something about our long-term parking rates,” said Rammopo.

To grow the airport’s parking space, Lanseria is spending R250m on building a three-storey parkade opposite the main airport building that will add an extra 1 000 parking spaces, bringing the airport’s total to 4 000.

Lanseria is a single runway airport and a second runway, which could accommodate aeroplanes from international airlines and destinations, would cost between R1 billion and R2 billion.

The latest Gautrain feasibility study sees the rapid rail facility expand to include a stop at the Lanseria airport, but this might not happen for the next 10 years at least.

“Our selling points, to the airlines, are the ease of access and convenience. There is a short time between the aircraft and your car and we have a minimal retail offering.”

Another opportunity that Lanseria is looking at is a dedicated cargo facility.

The airport is privately owned by the Public Investment Corporation, the Pan African Infrastructure Development Fund and Nozala Investment Holdings.

According to Airport CEO, Rampa Rammopo, Lanseria International is implementing a five-year capital investment programme to upgrade and expand its facilities.

Already completed and in progress is the construction of the Multi-Storey Parkade and construction work for the elevated roadway and underground walkway which opened in November.

The airline will increase services on the Lanseria to George and Johannesburg to East London routes to daily over the period.There will also be additional flights on the Johannesburg and George as well as Johannesburg to Cape Town, Johannesburg to Port Elizabeth, Cape Town to East London, Cape Town to Port Elizabeth as well as between Cape Town and Durban.

Last year the airline increased services to 1 404 flights last December and this year it will see an increase to 1 600 flights for December.

In addition to increasing frequencies, FlySafair will also adding aircraft to its fleet. The carrier recently acquired two additional Boeing 737-400s and will take delivery of a third Boeing 737-400 before the end of the year. This will bring FlySafair’s fleet to 11 aircraft, making it the second largest low-cost carrier in SA in terms of aircraft.