Durban Flights

Well, we held a collective breath at the prospect of Durban opening its new international airport only 6 weeks before the start of the World Cup, but here we are on Day 4, and we have yet to hear horror stories about the switch over ... I can only conclude that the transition has been extremely smoothly planned and executed. Airports Company of South Africa (ACSA), well done!

For those intending to travel to Durban, bear in mind that the new King Shaka airport at La Mercy is located north of town (the previous airport was south of the city). It is a bit further out, so bargain on slightly longer travel times into the CBD (I have heard figures of an extra 15-20 minutes quoted, which means that you should probably allow about 45 minutes out of rush hour) and proportionately higher taxi/bus fares. As with its predecessor, there is no rail or subway link into Durban, so road transport of one form or other is your only option (I can't resist smugly adding that we in Jo'burg are the only African city to have a rail link to the airport!).

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Yesterday (20 May), I flew into the brand new King Shaka airport, and am happy to report that I have only positive things to say!

I travel to Durban on business a couple of times a month, and had been nervous about how the switch between old and new airports would be managed, especially as this was taking place less than six weeks before the start of the World Cup. It is therefore a pleasure to be able to say that the transition has been exceptionally well managed and that the new airport is magnificent.

The new airport is several times larger than the old airport, and the architecture is a triumph - airy and spacious, with enormously high ceilings and lots of natural light. Durban in high summer can be oppressively hot and humid, but you get the distinct sense that even at that time of year, the airport would create a pleasant microclimate for travellers.

As ever with brand new, 'out of the box' facilities, there are downsides, fortunately most of which are minor. For those used to its pocket-sized predecessor, I estimate that it will take you 10 minutes longer from dropping off your hire car to reaching your boarding gate, simply because things are even more spaced out (pun intended). There is also currently a shortage of seating in the public lounge areas, because delivery has apparently been delayed by the volcanic interruptions in Europe (not sure if I believe that they were really going to incur the cost of air freighting these in, but that's the official line), although this should be a temporary glitch.

More insidious is the toll plaza on the highway towards Durban, literally only a couple of kilometres south of the airport: admittedly the toll is currently only R4 for a standard sedan car, but it's not a welcome welcome to Durbs, and sends the unfortunate message that tourists need to be prepared to start paying almost as soon as they arrive (payment can be made with either cash or a credit card).

Durban has a beautiful, new airport which seemed to me to be almost too large for the area where it is situated. On my master South Africa page, I shared some of my research on Kulula Airlines, a low-cost airline which flies only within South Africa. I certainly hope to get to try them the next time that I am in South Africa. There was one anecdote which I found that was particularly apropos to Durban.

A plane was taking off from Durban Airport . After it reached a comfortable cruising altitude, the captain made an announcement over the intercom, "Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking.
"Welcome to Flight Number 293, non-stop from Durban to Cape Town. The weather ahead is good and, therefore, we should have a smooth and uneventful flight. Now sit back and relax... OH, MY GOODNESS!" Silence followed, and after a few minutes, the captain came back on the intercom and said, "Ladies and Gentlemen, I am so sorry if I scared you earlier. While I was talking to you, the flight attendant accidentally spilled a cup of hot coffee in my lap. You should see the front of my pants!"
A passenger then yelled, "That's nothing. You should see the back of mine!"

The fastest ways to get to Durban is by plane.
Durban International Airport is only about 10 minutes outside the city centre and caters for both International and Domestic flights.

Airlines serving Durban as part of their routes are: South African Airways, British Airways, Nationwide, and then also served by 2 no frills airlines Kulula and Onetime.
Flight times from Johannesburg are about 80 minutes and 2 hour 20 mins from Cape Town.

Sunday, September 18, 1994
Here I will give you an idea how long it took to get to our final destination --Durban, South Africa. Our first leg of the journey began in Toronto with a flight on Delta Air Lines to Washington Dulles Airport.
From there we boarded US/AFRICA AIRWAYS which would bring us to Johannesburg, but first stopping on Cape Verdi Island for refuelling. US/AFRICA AIRWAYS was a new service when we went and we were thoroughly spoiled on the plane which wasn't completely full. We had wonderful service and food (served with real silverware), a package with slippers & head phones and any kind of drink that you desired. My favourite at the time was Amaretto. We finally arrived in Johannesburg Monday, September 19 and now had to take a plane to Durban, which was a short 45-minute plane ride. Our brother-in-law picked us up at the airport. We were both prettty tired after almost 17 hours of travelling time.
Toronto-Washington-Cape Verdi-Johannesburg-Durban.

South Africa's national airline SAA offers regular air services to Durban from Johannesburg, Cape Town, East London, Port Elizabeth and other cities. The full route network and reservations can be done online at the web page address below.

South Africa's budget airline is Kulula offering internet reservations and no-frills air services.

Another option of air travel in South Africa is Nationwide Air, also with scheduled services between the major centres of the country and some destinations to Southern African countries.