Pretoria - Northern Cape Premier Sylvia Lucas has officially unveiled the Intra-Provincial Flight Service that will not only link some of the major provincial towns, but will provide people with fast, reliable and safe air service.
Speaking at the launch of Phakalane Airways in Kimberley on Wednesday, Lucas said the establishment of the Intra-Provincial Flight Service marks another milestone of her province developing a reliable and sustainable transport system.
“I am delighted to be here today to mark this prestigious launch of the Phakalane air transport service route, which will link some of the major towns of the Northern Cape province.
“These new flights will provide our people in the Northern Cape with a fast, reliable and safe air service and give travellers more options of travelling between the towns.
“Air transport is a critically important industry with a significant impact on our economy and the economic well-being of our people,” said the premier.
Lucas said the transport sector was an important component of the economy impacting on development and welfare of the population.
She said when transport systems were efficient, they provided economic and social opportunities and benefits that result in positive multiplier effects, such as better accessibility to markets, employment and additional investments.
The Intra-Provincial Flight Service follows the Northern Cape Provincial Government commissioning a feasibility study to investigate the options of relying on some form of scheduled and non-schedule air service to address some of its VVIP, provincial government managerial and operational staff, private sector and larger Northern Cape communities with travel requirements within the province.
Based on the feasibility study, the travel patterns indicated that it was possible to introduce an economically viable and safe air transport service linking the major towns in the province.
Following numerous consultation processes last year, the provincial government issued a tender to appoint a suitable service provider to render the intra-provincial air service.
Phakalane Airways was the successful bidder to assist the provincial government to implement the service.
The establishment of the airline is also a means for the provincial government to grow the transport system in the province and utilise existing transport infrastructure for the development of an efficient, reliable transport system. - SAnews.gov.za
