Local airline SA Airlink and banking group Nedbank Capital have concluded a finance deal which will result in an expanded network of feeder routes for SA Airlink.

Nedbank Capital’s Aircraft Finance division has provided funding for SA Airlink to buy four new Cessna Grand Caravan aircraft that it will use to fly tourists directly to four upmarket game lodges within the Sabi Sands Private Game Reserve.

The acquisition of the aircraft forms part of SA Airlink’s strategy to grow its feeder flight network by adding flights directly to the most popular game lodge destinations in South Africa.

This strategy followed the reopening of Skukuza Airport, in Mpumalanga, last year, which was also facilitated by SA Airlink as part of its larger plan to introduce seamless connectivity and convenience for national and international tourists visiting the Kruger National Park.

Initially, the service will connect visitors from the Skukuza and Nelspruit airports to the Ulusaba, Singita, Arathusa and Londolozi lodges.

SA Airlink CEO Rodger Foster said the full convenience of this new service would particularly be realised for the airline’s guests through an integrated flight reservations process that allowed them to use a single booking platform to arrange their flights all the way to their destination.

“SA Airlink’s code franchising agreement with South Africa Airways (SAA) means that visitors travelling to the four connected Sabi Sands lodges will be able to use the SAA flight reservations facility to book their entire trip, effectively removing the hassle of having to arrange separate road shuttle services or complicated secondary aircraft charters from the main centres to their end-destinations,” he said.

Nedbank Capital head of aircraft finance James Geldenhuys stated that the acquisition reinforced that SA Airlink’s level of innovation and client-centricity were at the heart of its success and growth over the last two decades.

He added that the transaction with SA Airlink went beyond providing finance for aircraft acquisition by also aligning with Nedbank Capital’s commitment to funding projects that had the potential to deliver sustainable social and economic benefits for the country.

“According to a report by the World Travel & Tourism Council, travel and tourism directly contributed over 640 000 jobs and more than R103-billion to South Africa’s total gross domestic product in 2013 and deals like this one give innovative companies like SA Airlink the real potential to significantly raise the extent of their contributions to these vital social and economic growth impacts going forward,” he concluded.