Airlink has applied for its air service licence to be amended to include routes to France, Germany and the UK via a codeshare agreement with an unidentified partner as the airline takes its brand to the European market. Chief commercial officer Katherine Whelan said the application isn’t a change in strategy for the group, which earns much of its earnings from its African operations. “In line with South African and international aviation regulations, Airlink has applied for an amendment to its licence enabling it to market and sell tickets for travel to Paris, Frankfurt and London on flights operated by a partner airline but bearing an Airlink flight number — that is, a codeshare,” Whelan said.
“The application was lodged in 2025 with the department of transport’s International Air Services Council and is pending approval. “Airlink’s business model, focus and strength is in serving destinations across Southern and East Africa, Madagascar and St Helena Island, while providing convenient connections with its more than 30 international airline partners.” Codeshare agreements, which allow an airline to sell seats on a flight operated by another while marketing it under its own flight number, are the norm in the aviation industry. The agreements enables both partners to expand networks, offer more options and provide better connections for passengers without having to operate flights on the route themselves.
Airlink has also been investing in its fleet, with its new Embraer E195-E2 aircraft entering service in December. Airlink is the first carrier in Southern Africa to operate the latest E195-E2s, which are powered by super-fuel-efficient engines and can seat up to 136 passengers. Airlink underwent a leadership change in March last year when co-founder Rodger Foster ended a 33 yearstretch at the helm.
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Former CFO De Villiers Engelbrecht took over in April 2025. The company was established in the early 1990s when Foster and Barrie Webb successfully bid for liquidated Link Airways and renamed it Airlink. Its network connects South African cities and towns to countries including Angola, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Eswatini, Kenya, Lesotho, Mozambique, Madagascar, Malawi, Namibia, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. It also operates flights to St Helena, an island in the South Atlantic.
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