South African regional and domestic airline Airlink started operating its new regional route, between Johannesburg and Nacala in Nampula province in Mozambique, on Monday. The route will initially be operated twice a week, on Mondays and Fridays.

“By adding Nacala to our network, Airlink adds the vital component of air connectivity, positioning Nacala into a truly multi-modal transport and logistics node for this region,” pointed out Airlink CEO de Villiers Engelbrecht.  “Airlink’s convenient, reliable, great value and full-service flights will be a game-changer for Nacala and the businesses and enterprises it supports.”

Mozambique’s third-largest harbour city, Nacala is also the coastal end of the Nacala Corridor. This provides access to the sea, for exports and imports worldwide, for Zambia, Malawi and the western Mozambican province of Tete. Nacala is also an access point for trade, tourism and other economic activities in the country’s northern provinces as well.

“Having Airlink connect Nacala with the rest of the world will incentivise travel to and from this important commercial hub and stimulate a surge in trade, tourism and investments that will unlock our region’s full potential,” affirmed Nampula provincial Governor Eduardo Mariamo Abdula.  “This will improve the socio-economic landscape of northern Mozambique.”

The flights are being operated with the airline’s Embraer regional jets. The flights from Johannesburg are coded 4Z 236 and depart at 10h30 on Mondays and Fridays, arriving at Nacala at 13h10. The return flights are coded 4Z 237 and leave Nacala at 13h45, arriving in Johannesburg at 16h35.

“Airlink is a private-sector airline and is investing its own money into launching and developing this route,” highlighted Engelbrecht.  “While we are starting modestly with two return flights a week, we see enormous potential in the route and our intention is to add capacity and increase frequency as the demand increases.”  

The carrier has been operating flights to and from Mozambique for more than 30 years, and Nacala is its seventh destination in that country, the others being Maputo (the capital), Beira, Nampula, Pemba, Tete and Vilanculos. The airline now operates more than 60 return flights a week between South Africa and its eastern neighbour.

Airlink flights are so scheduled as to provide convenient connections with its other services, both domestic and regional, and with long-haul services provided its partner global carriers.