Competition intensifies in South Africa as FlySafair breaks Comair-South African Airways duopoly

Competition has again intensified in the South African domestic market with the launch and expansion of FlySafair. The new LCC launched services in Oct-2014 and is already competing on five of South Africa's main routes.

The South African market has contracted since the 2012 collapse of 1time and Velvet Sky. The consolidation left Comair and South African Airways (both of which have full service and budget brands) with a duopoly, leading to a significant improvement in profitability.

As another new LCC, Skywise, also prepares to launch there is now a risk the South African domestic market could quickly swing back to overcapacity. New pan-African LCC groups fastjet and flyafrica.com, which are already competing in the regional international market, also continue to look at entering South Africa's dynamic domestic market.