Airlink plans to launch a new direct flight from South Africa to Mauritius later this year on 2 October 2026.
This will be the first time Airlink has offered a route to the popular holiday destination.
Flights will take off from Cape Town International Airport twice per week, landing at Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport on the Indian Ocean island.
The international route will be operated by the airline’s new Embraer E195-E2 aircraft, which can accommodate 124 passengers.
It has 12 business-class seats and 112 economy-class seats, with window and aisle seats but no middle-row seats. In fact, there are no middle-row seats on any Airlink flight.
Airlink offers a 20kg free luggage allowance for discounted economy passengers, which increases to 30kg for full-fare economy travellers.
The plane’s cabin configuration also allows for up to 15kg of sporting equipment.
Airlink stated that it has arranged for the route’s schedule to allow for leisure travellers to maximise their holiday time.
Likewise, corporate travellers can plan their itineraries without disruptive middle-of-the-night or pre-dawn departures or arrivals.
Mauritius is a popular holiday destination known for its tropical beaches and golf resorts. It is also recognised as the safest country in Africa.
It offers visa-on-arrival for 140 countries, making it one of the more accessible tourist hotspots.
Airlink noted that Mauritius’ advanced economy, which features IT and financial services, and its offshore business incentives, make it a key investment and trade centre.
“Cape Town is also an important source market and connecting hub for leisure and business travel wanting to travel to the island while avoiding the hassle and additional time connecting in Johannesburg,” said de Villiers Engelbrecht, Airlink CEO.
Another holiday island destination
Earlier this week, Airlink inaugurated its new year-round return service between Johannesburg and Zanzibar.
The local airline noted that the island has become such a popular route for tourists that it will add a third weekly return flight between 15 December 2026 and 13 January 2027 to ensure it can meet demand over the peak holiday season.
Like Mauritius, Zanzibar is growing as an investment hub with promising manufacturing, fishing, marine tourism, and offshore oil and gas industries.
Zanzibar is actually the first international destination to be operated by Airlink’s Embraer E195-E2 passenger jets.
In October, Airlink will launch its first-ever non-stop Cape Town-Zanzibar route.
“The introduction of our new flagship aircraft, the E195-E2, with its innovative business class and comfortable economy seats, enables Airlink to bring destinations such as Zanzibar within convenient non-stop reach of Cape Town,” said Engelbrecht.
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