Low cost airline Mango will launch daily return flights between Johannesburg and Port Elizabeth as well as Cape Town and Port Elizabeth from 5 December this year. Initially, the airline will operate one return flight daily between the respective cities using leased-in aircraft until early next year when Mango expects to add additional capacity to its own fleet.

Port Elizabeth will be the second new airport in the Mango stable in 15 months with Lanseria launched in mid-2011. "There is a requirement for a low cost carrier on the Johannesburg Port Elizabeth and Cape Town Port Elizabeth route, and with the recent exit of capacity Mango has brought forward its plans by a few months in order to accommodate market demand," says CEO Nico Bezuidenhout. He adds that the new route is one of several planned for the next 18 months with a focus on the east-African seaboard.

Mango's first flight between Johannesburg and Port Elizabeth will depart on 5 December with bookings available from Tuesday, 20 November across all its channels with an inaugural fare of R 599 between Johannesburg and Port Elizabeth and R 699 between Cape Town and Port Elizabeth, available on selected flights. Edgars and Jet account cards will also be accepted online and through the airline's call centre.