Steve Anderson, CEO of Elite Jet, a large aircraft operator based at Lanseria airport in Johannesburg South Africa, says that the overall impression by charter operators of the Football World Cup taking place in South Africa between June and July is not turning out to be the boost to the rather depressed industry that operators thought it would be.
“We are seeing a lot of interest, and I understand from colleagues that everyone is quoting like mad – but there are very, very few people placing deposits” he said. “Even the airlines are reporting sluggish demand”.
Anderson feels that the world economy coupled with the distances fans have to fly are also impacting negatively on demand.
“With a European event, fans could fly out in the morning, watch a game, and be home for work the next morning. To do this for our event is not possible,” he said.
Many operators were expecting fans to couple the football extravaganza with a holiday, taking into account the favourable exchange rates. But with local establishments increasing prices ahead of the event, this is not happening.
“As charter operators, we do expect a spike in demand as the quarter and semi finals approach and fans make plans to support their teams, but this will be a small increase and short lived,” said Anderson.
He reiterated that incoming aircraft and operators do however arrange parking, slots and handling as soon as possible, as planning by authorities has been oriented to airline traffic.
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