[imagesource: FlyAfrica]

Large parts of Durban and surrounding areas were locked down last week, with unrest and looting flaring up across KwaZulu-Natal.

If you could rustle up the cash, though – as many wealthy KZN residents did – there were private chartered planes willing to take those aboard to Cape Town or Gauteng.

According to TimesLIVE, some residents paid as much as R180 000 for flights to Cape Town and R90 000 to Gauteng.

Virginia Airport in Durban North was particularly busy, with pilots saying they had been overwhelmed:

CEO of KZN Aviation Melanie Simon said their pilots had been working flat out doing multiple trips to Cape Town and Gauteng.

“For a flight to Cape Town, which costs R150,000 one way, we’re taking families of up to six people, some with their pets. We’ve done about seven of those flights so far and we have more lined up.”

She said trips to Gauteng were more frequent. “We’re doing about eight flights per day when we usually do around two. Most families and individuals are flying to Johannesburg and Cape Town.”

While the majority of those appear to be one-way flights, there are reports of round trips.

TimesLIVE is aware of a private jet that flew from Ballito to Cape Town on Wednesday, with passengers then shopping for goods before returning to “their husbands and fathers, who remained at home to “protect” their properties”.

There are also many accounts of wealthier families paying for provisions to be flown in for needy people, with Fin24 reporting on that front:

Private aircraft are bringing in small planes loaded with food and medical supplies. The planes are chartered by companies wanting to get supplies to their employees or even just private individuals wanting to help…

Furthermore, because a blood bank was destroyed in Durban, two private planes flew in blood supplies to the city…

Some farmers used their small planes to bring food to family and friends in the province.

“All the pilots flying these planes have been fantastic. They have really pulled together when it was needed. This just shows how vital air connectivity is,” says the source.

Members of the SAA Pilots Association (SAAPA) have rallied to offer their expertise, delivering urgently needed baby formula and medical supplies to areas like Pietermaritzburg, as well as medical supplies to Margate and Richards Bay.

Andy Cluver, the owner of Civair Helicopters and Aeroplanes, said donors from across the country (and even as far afield as Canada) sprung into action, with relief flights taking off on Friday from Cape Town just three hours after planning began.

Cluver says the events of the past week show “how South Africans can come together in a time of crisis and get things done”.

When our government fails at every turn, it’s all we have.

[sources:timeslive&fin24]