[South Africa] Mango celebrates over 6 million Guests to and from the Mother City

Since its launch in November 2006, the airline has carried four million travellers between Johannesburg and Cape Town, just over 2.4 million Guests between Cape Town and Durban and a hundred thousand on its younger route between Port Elizabeth and Cape Town. In total, the airline has carried over 13 million Guests on more than 91 000 flights since first taking to the skies.

Since Mango’s launch in November 2006, the airline has also carried over 3.8 million travellers between Johannesburg and Durban. More than 300 000 Guests were carried to and from Port Elizabeth since launching the route in December 2012. The airline also operates in excess of 1500 flights every month between Johannesburg and Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban, Johannesburg and Port Elizabeth, Johannesburg and George, Johannesburg and Zanzibar, Lanseria and Cape Town as well as between Cape Town and Bloemfontein, Cape Town and Durban and Cape Town and Port Elizabeth.

“Mango will continue to offer the most consistently affordable fares in the market,” says spokesperson Hein Kaiser, “and along with operational efficiencies, a product that offers the most comfortable legroom in the domestic low cost universe, on-board Wi-Fi on the majority of our flights and wide point of sale accessibility with broad payment method options Mango is geared for sustained positive impact in terms of its market share.”

Presently the airline accounts for 26% of the overall domestic market on routes it operates; 55% of the market between Cape Town and Durban and 15% market share between Johannesburg and Cape Town and 24% on the Port Elizabeth Cape Town route.

The airline remains mindful of new market entrants despite market share gains by startups remaining in lower single digits. “Erosion of an already declining and limited market will present ongoing challenges for the more stablished incumbent carriers. The aviation market is tough and recent history suggests the caveat remains for new startups and consumers.” He adds that new low cost airlines have not stimulated the market and pursued growth, but instead are clawing passengers from an existing and shrinking pool with initial unsustainable launch fares. “We have seen a marked return to more realistic fares from the startups. This underlines their unsustainable pricing initially offered.”

Mango will continue to pursue market share and contribute to growth in domestic aviation. “Through the development of innovative solutions such as being the first to retail tickets through grocer Shoprite Checkers, our mobile apps and acceptance of store charge cards (Edgars, Jet) accessibility to previously un-flown markets has attracted new travellers to aviation. We plan to pursue further growth in this market segment,” says Kaiser. The airline estimates that approximately 9% of all Guests flown on Mango, on aggregate since 2006, have been first time flyers.

“Mango will also continue to price flights at affordable levels without any additional costs, such as check in and baggage allowance fees.” Fares advertised include all taxes and third party charges as well as a 20kg check in baggage allowance not limited to a single bag. “The primary role of a low cost airline is to carry Guests between cities affordably sans piled on charges, efficiently and on-time.”

www.flymango.com