Shortly before their British Airways flight touched down in Cape Town on Wednesday morning, the pilot told the passengers not to be alarmed at the sight of emergency vehicles waiting at the side of the runway.
As British Airways restarts direct flights to Cape Town, the travel industry hopes to save some of the critical 2021 summer tourist season. Before Covid-19, nearly 200,000 Brits visited the Western Cape every year, spending an average R24,000 each. With SA off the red list, the province wants those visitors - and their money - back.
“There were two fire engines on either side and fire crews were waving at us while we taxied. There was great spirit on board and when we landed. It was kind of fun.”Immigration procedures for SA travellers had been speeded up after the installation of electronic passport readers. “Following the welcome news that a significant number of countries have been removed from the UK government’s red list, BA is resuming services and increasing frequencies to a number of destinations,” it said.
The endangered African pangolin, highly prized in traditional Chinese medicine for its scales, has become one of the world's most trafficked animals. Local airline Airlink has embarked on a training programme for its staff to help combat the trade.
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