Following weeks of devastating rains in Limpopo, Mpumalanga, and the northern parts of KwaZulu-Natal, FlySafair has made the call to halt its Hoedspruit flights, as other airlines return to the airfield.
Disruptive rains and flooding throughout Limpopo and Mpumalanga, which have since been classified as a natural disaster, have swept away houses, cost lives, and halted operations at the Kruger National Park.
The South African Weather Service (SAWS) issued a red level 10 severe weather warning last week, which prompted several airlines to cancel flights into and out of the Hoedspruit Eastgate Airport.
CemAir initially announced that flights to and from Hoedspruit may be affected by the prevailing severe weather conditions, which led to cancellations of flights.
The airline said that it would continue to monitor the situation, but since the SAWS announced improved weather conditions, it seems that CemAir has reinstated flights in and out of the airport.
Another airline that was forced to cancel flights to and from the Hoedspruit Airport was Airlink.
The airline announced last week that it was forced to suspend its flights to this airfield, as floods rendered roads inaccessible, and had severed access to the airport.
Airlink CEO, de Villiers Engelbrecht, stated that the airline was working with its counterparts at SANParks to minimise the disruption and expedite the resumption of flights and operations at Hoedspruit airport.
The airline has since resumed its operations at the airport.
Flights into and out of the Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport were also limited to essential delivery vehicles or airport transfers, subject to proof of confirmed flight bookings, due to weather conditions.
Visitation at the park has been reinstated, but the northern part of the Kruger National Park remains inaccessible, as several roads and bridges have been washed away.
No flights until Valentine’s Day
One local airline that won’t be taking a chance on resuming operations at the Hoedspruit Airport is FlySafair.
The airline announced that it would be halting its operations at the airport until Valentine’s Day at the very least.
“FlySafair regrets to announce the cancellation of flights to and from Hoedspruit due to the recent floods,” it announced.
“While we do everything possible to avoid cancelling flights, the flooding has made it necessary to temporarily suspend operations at the airport in the interest of safety.”
“All flights to and from Hoedspruit will remain suspended until 14 February 2026.”
The airline explained that the affected passengers will be contacted to change their flights to any one of FlySafair’s domestic destinations, cancel their bookings for credit, or request a full refund.
“We would like to extend our apologies to the customers of these flights for the inconvenience, and we thank them for their patience in allowing us to always act conservatively in the interest of safety,” the airline concluded.
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