fastjet’s first flight between Johannesburg in South Africa and Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe took to the skies earlier, marking an important milestone in the pan-African airline’s growth plans.

The flight was fastjet’s first international route from Victoria Falls and was launched in response to strong passenger and tour operator demand from within the South African market.

fastjet has been engaging with South African tour operators to deliver inclusive packages to encourage more South African visitors to fly to Victoria Falls, to enjoy the many adventure and safari activities available.

Services between Johannesburg’s O.R. Tambo International Airport and Victoria Falls International Airport now operate twice a week on Fridays and Sundays, using fastjet’s modern Airbus A319 jet aircraft with seating for up to 144 passengers.

Flights will depart Victoria Falls at 12:40 and land in Johannesburg at 14:15, with a flight time of one hour 35 minutes.

The return flight from Johannesburg departs at 14:55 and lands in Victoria Falls at 16:35.

“The Zimbabwean government has invested a substantial US$150 million in upgrading Victoria Falls International Airport, with the intention of it becoming a gateway to central and Southern Africa,” said Richard Bodin, fastjet chief commercial officer.

“fastjet has already enjoyed the benefits of the upgrade to this magnificent airport with our domestic flights between Harare and Victoria Falls, and we are looking forward to introducing international visitors to its world-class facilities,” he said.

Supporting this expectation is research undertaken by fastjet showing that more than one third of its passengers were first time flyers only able to afford air travel for the first time by choosing to fly on the airline.

This new route between Victoria Falls and Johannesburg follows closely on the success of fastjet’s route launches between Harare and Victoria Falls, and Harare and Johannesburg.

fastjet recently increased the frequency of its flights from Harare to Johannesburg and now offers double daily flights on each day of the week - apart from the weekend - making a total of 24 flights per week between the two cities.