The return of British Airways à Durban from 29th October will result in three weekly non-stop flights in Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner with three classes of service.
Flights will leave London in the afternoon every Monday, Thursday and Saturday, with the return flight also arriving in London in the late afternoon, with the possibility of connections to major European cities including Paris, Brussels and Geneva. The route will be the only flight from Europe to the port city.
In Durban, British Airways will be working with its South African partner Comairwhich offers numerous connections to the rest of South Africa.
The London-Durban route has long been a traditional route for British Airways. After all, Durban has always been a relatively prosperous city with a very British way of life... But the return of the British carrier no longer has much to do with the historic links between London and Durban. It is first and foremost a pragmatism very familiar with the British company. Today, Durban is the capital of Kwazulu Natal province, with a population of up to 2 million. 3.1 million inhabitants in its urban region. In fact, it has overtaken Johannesburg and plays almost equally with Cape Town.
Its economic power in South Africa is recognised: it is the country's largest port today the second largest in Africa after Port Said in Egypt, and also the 4th largest container port in the entire southern hemisphere. Every year, some 4,500 commercial vessels bring more than 32 million tonnes of freight in transit to the city's port. The airport also handles five million passengers a yearof which 350,000 are international. Visit France The city's dynamism is now recognised by the French government, which set up a branch of the Franco-South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry in the city in 2013. Durban's port status makes it one of the country's most cosmopolitan cities, with the largest Indian and Asian community in South Africa.
Boasting a subtropical climate, Durban is also known for its seaside tourist activity, with a seafront on the Indian Ocean. In fact, Durban is taking on the appearance of a MiamiRio or Brisbane in Australia, with its modern buildings at the foot of the beach. According to the KwaZulu Natal Provincial Tourist Board's annual report, some four million visitors (domestic and international) were recorded in the province in 2016, with more than 60% staying in the Durban metropolitan area.
The number of international tourists reached almost 750,000 arrivals in 2016, with Europe accounting for just under 100,000 tourists a year. France generates around 25,000 annual arrivals in the region, behind the UK (45,000 arrivals) and Germany (40,000 arrivals). According to regional statistics, 18% of all these trips had a business profile.
