Zimbabwe: Date of the official launch of the upgraded Victoria Falls International Airport has been announced!

The newly upgraded Victoria Falls International Airport (VFA), located about 20km south of the town of Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, will be officially opened on 18 November 2016. The airport underwent massive modernization, renovation, and expansion works that took about 36 month. The upgrade of the airport was done in two phases:

Phase one:

• construction of a new terminal building
• construction of a new 4km runway
• conversion of the existing 2.2km runway into a taxi way
• construction of a new road network
• construction of a new car park
• construction of a new fire station
• construction pf a new control tower

Phase two:

• renovation and conversion of the old terminal building into a fully-fledged domestic terminal

Parts of Victoria Falls International Airport (VFA), such as the international terminal, the new runway and the new control tower became already operational in December 2016. The Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe (CAAZ) initially planned the offical commission the airport to take place in May 2016 (and before that at various dates in 2015), but had to postpone the date due to delays in construction.
The work to upgrade Victoria Falls International Airport (VFA) began in 2013 and was financed through the ExIm Bank of China.

Rwanda: Rwandair to launch flights to the USA in 2017!

Rwanda's national carrier, Rwandair, just confirmed on twitter that it is planning to introduce flights between Kigali International Airport (KGL) in Kigali and the USA in 2017. According to news reports in Rwanda, the airline will enter the US market with a route to New York. Rwandair also plans to acquire another Airbus A350 XWB wide-body plane for it's flights between Kigali and New York.

US flights are planned for 2017. @NewTimesRwanda @igihe https://t.co/3Eijssosr6

— RwandAir (@FlyRwandAir) November 8, 2016

Rwandair currently operates flights to 19 destinations and is planning to launch services to London-Gatwick in the UK (in 2017), Mumbai in India, Conakry in Guinea, Bamako in Mali, as well as to Dakar in Senegal, Harare in Zimbabwe, Lilongwe in Malawi and Durban in South Africa.

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South Africa's most punctual domestic airlines in October 2016!

Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) has published the on-time performance results of domestic airlines’ flying out of OR Tambo in Johannesburg, Cape Town International Airport, and Durban's King Shaka International Airport in October 2016.
On-Time Performance is measured by comparing the actual off-block time (when aircraft pushes back) against the airline schedule time for a departing flight. The measurement is done in accordance with the IATA (International Airlines Transport Association) universal standard benchmark with considers a 15 minute deviation from the scheduled time as an on-time departure.

OR Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg - 15 Min on Time Performance October 2016 (airport target 87%)

1. FlySafair - 95.59% (September 91.93%)
2. Airlink - 87.75% (September 88.87%)
3. South African Airways - 84.16% (September 86.39%)
4. CemAir - 83.73% (September 86.86%)
5. Fly Blue Crane Aviation - 83.52% (September 92.19%)
6. Kulula.com - 82.53% (September 83.78%)
7. British Airways Domestic - 82.49% (September 84.47%)
8. Mango - 80.26% (September 85.23%)
9. SA Express - 70.83% (September 71.78%)

Cape Town International Airport - 15 Min on Time Performance October 2016 (airport target 90%)

1. FlySafair - 96.96% (September 94.46%)  
2. CemAir - 90.38% (September 88.46%) 
3. Airlink - 87.96% (September 90.96%) 
4. Kulula.com - 84.76% (September 87.21%)
5. South African Airways - 83.83% (September 87.57%)
6. Mango - 83.56% (September 89.02%)
7. British Airways Domestic - 83.17% (September 84.44%)
8. SA Express - 83.16% (September 87.75%)
9. Fly Blue Crane Aviation - 72.73% (September 77.50%)

King Shaka International Airport, Durban - 15 Min on Time Performance October 2016 (airport target 91%)

1. FlySafair - 96.46% (September 97.22%)
2. South African Airways - 90.65% (September 93.30%)
3. Mango - 86.58% (September 91.73%) 
4. Kulula.com - 84.22% (September 89.27%)
5. Airlink - 83.27% (September 90.81%)
6. British Airways Domestic - 80.16% (September 84.26%)   
7. SA Express - 74.84% (September 85.41%)     

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Kenya: New, reduced entry fees to Kenya's National Parks!

Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) has reduced entry fees to Kenya's National Parks and Reserves. Effective 01 November 2016, all fees were capped at $60 (Sh 6,000) for adult non-residents and Sh860 for adult Kenyan citizens. This follows a decision by the Kenyan government to exempt entry fees to National Parks and Reserves from Value Added Tax (VAT). VAT was previously factored in all entry fees and other services offered in the Parks and Reserves managed by the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS).

screenshot via kws.go.ke - link (pdf)

The money collected as entrance fees by the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) is primarily used to help the conservation of the plants and animals within the National Parks and Reserves in Kenya.

Eastern Cape: The attractions of the Kouga Baviaans Surf & Safari Country! (video)

The Emfuleni Corridor Tourism Association (ECTOUR), an umbrella body of tourism associations from various tourism nodes across South Africa's Eastern Cape, has released a new image video highlighting the attractions of the Kouga Baviaans Surf & Safari Country. The region features Jeffreys Bay, St Francis Bay, Cape St Francis, Humansdorp, Hankey, Patensie, Baviaanskloof and is the southern gateway into the Baviaanskloof Mega Wilderness Reserve.

iSimangaliso Wetland Park: New entrance fees from 01 November 2016!

South Africa's first UNESCO World Heritage Site, the iSimangaliso Wetland Park in KwaZulu Natal, has increased entrance fees on 01 November 2016. The new entrance fee for adults ranges between R25.00 - R45.00 per person and for children between R15.00 - R35.00 per person, depending on the gate of entry. iSimangaliso Wetland Park only accepts cash at entry gates!

screenshot via isimangaliso.com

• Overnight Accommodation - A charge of R7.00 applies per person per night (includes Rhino Gold Cards)
• Community Conservation Levy - A levy of R5.00 per person is payable. This levy goes towards the many social and conservation programmes of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park

Namibia: New impalas, elands and wildebeests for Khaudum National Park!

A total of 200 impalas have been relocated to the Khaudum National Park, the Nyae Nyae Conservancy in the south of the National Park and the George Mukoya and Muduva Nyangana conservancies in the north. Another 50 eland and 50 blue wildebeest will follow shortly. The new animals will be free to move between the park and the three conservancies. Some of the 200 impala were relocated come from Von Bach Dam near Okahandja, while the rest came from private game farms. The eland and wildebeest are from the Waterberg National Park south-east of Otjiwarongo, which has surplus populations of both eland and wildebeest.

Khaudum National Park covers 3842km² and is situated in the Kalahari Desert in northeastern Namibia bordering Botswana. The National Park is home to elephants, roan antelopes, giraffes, elands, tsessebes, reedbucks, lions, African wilddogs, leopards, spotted hyaenas, ostriches, blue wildebeests, red hartebeests, kudus, gemsboks, warthogs, side-striped jackals, various other smaller species, as well as to over 320 species of birds. Khaudum Nature Reserve was proclaimed in 1989. In February 2007, the reserve was given National Park status.