[imagesource: Reuters/Rogan Ward

From today, June 1, South African domestic flights for business travel are now allowed.

To really spell it out, that means you may not fly for recreational or tourism purposes, and at present there are only four airports open for passengers.

Those are OR Tambo, Cape Town, King Shaka, and Lanseria international airports, which have been opened as part of phase one of domestic air travel.

If that is deemed a success, and depending on infection numbers inland, phase two would see the opening of Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport, Polokwane International Airport, and Bram Fischer Airport in Bloemfontein.

In phase three, and once screening capacity is deemed sufficient, Kimberley Airport, Upington Airport, East London Airport, Umtata Airport, and Port Elizabeth Airport would then open.

There is no timeline given for each phase, with Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula saying that the speed of the rollout will depend on the efficiency of the safety measures in place.

Some more basics via Business Insider SA:

Passengers must “provide written authorisation or proof of travel, confirming the reason” for their flight – and those who can not do so “shall be automatically denied travel”…

Students and pupils returning to their studies are allowed to travel, as may people moving to a new home or “caring for an immediate family member, though they need forms and affidavits.

Members of Parliament “performing oversight responsibilities” are specifically allowed to travel, and so are close family members wishing to attend funerals.

There remains some confusion around what is deemed “essential business travel”, but South Africans have grown used to a certain amount of guessing over the past few months.

Once you’re on the plane, various safety measures are in place, such as no onboard magazines, no catering (given the quality of airline food, not a big loss), and the last row on the plane being reserved for isolation of suspected cases.

Whilst it was suggested that airlines may be forced to operate at a reduced capacity, with the middle seat in each row remaining vacant to ensure physical distancing between passengers, that is not the case.

Mbalula made it clear that all seats on the plane could be sold.

Over to MyBroadband, which covers further regulations:

All the airports will have markings on the floor for social distancing of 1.5 metres. This will be applicable at check-in counters, security checkpoints, and airport lounges.

All airline check-in agents will wear face shields and people will be encouraged to use self-check-in to avoid queues.

At boarding gates, boarding will be staggered and prioritized in terms of the number of passengers to board.

To further encourage social distancing, only passengers are allowed inside airport terminal buildings – which means no family and friends can accompany travellers inside airports.

For those who are travelling for work, there is another rather sizeable issue – the lack of flights available.

Both Kulula and FlySafair aren’t yet operational, with the former not likely to fly again until November, and the latter waiting to see the demand for tickets before resuming operations.

FlySafair CEO Elmar Conradie says the airline needs to sell 85% of the tickets for each flight before they become profitable, so that wait and see response makes sense.

You can see just how few flights are currently available in the rest of the MyBroadband article.

I’m quite grateful that I don’t have to fly much for work, because the idea of sitting in a plane right now doesn’t fill me with joy.

Safe travels to those that must, and good luck getting tickets.

[sources:businsidersa&mybb]