The Western Cape has declared an inter-governmental dispute over the Department of Transport’s silence on a request for Delta Airlines to fly a triangular route from Atlanta in the US via Johannesburg and Cape Town.
Western Cape MEC for Finance and Economic Opportunities, David Maynier, says he is alarmed at the continued silence of Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula over the province’s request to urgently grant US airline Delta the right to fly a triangular route.
“As far back as May 2021, I wrote to the Minister, to request that Delta Air Lines’ application to operate a triangular route between Atlanta – Johannesburg – Cape Town, be processed urgently precisely because tourism is a significant contributor to job creation and economic growth in the Western Cape,” says Maynier in a statement.
Seven letters sent
Over a period of six months, no fewer than seven letters were sent to the minister over the Delta matter, with “no substantive response” received, adds Maynier.
An inter-governmental dispute was declared on November 25, 2021, to which the minister replied on February 21, 2022, asking for more time.
Maynier says he acceded to an additional 15 days, which expired at midnight on March 16.
An aviation analyst who asked not to be named says it remains unclear why the Department of Transport has not granted the Western Cape’s request to allow Delta a triangular route, which would allow it to offload and take on new passengers in both Joburg and Cape Town – known in the industry as co-terminalisation. The Department of Transport’s previously stated position is that airlines may not service two airport terminals on a single service.
Joburg favoured?
“There is a clear policy to promote OR Tambo [International Airport] in Joburg as the preferred international hub in South Africa, and that’s what Cape Town is running into,” says the analyst.
“Unlike in other countries where individual airports are free to negotiate individual…