Velvet Sky – “Be flown away”
Operations
South Africa domestic (5 cities – subject to expansion)
General
Velvet Sky (VZ) is a relatively new low-cost domestic airline which services five urban centres in South Africa. These are:
- Johannesburg – OR Tambo International Airport
- Cape Town – Cape Town International Airport
- Durban – King Shaka International Airport
- Polokwane – Polokwane International Airport
- Port Elizabeth – Port Elizabeth Airport
Established in 2009, Velvet Sky originally had only one aircraft, a Boeing 737 of 1988 vintage. However, since changing ownership in 2011 the airline has expanded its fleet to two planes and its route base too. At present, there are plans to increase the fleet and flight roster yet more, in order to reach further destinations in southern Africa. The airline has added more routes between Port Elizabeth, Durban and Cape Town, since receiving additional planes.
Velvet Sky's purple and white livery, with their logo on the tailfin.
One of the most important facts about Velvet Sky is that it is based in Durban. Therefore, if you are in Durban or traveling there, it may be worth your while to investigate using Velvet Sky, since they are based there.
Velvet Sky has only one seating class. The airline does not serve meals in-flight but it is possible to book what they call an “On-Board Snack” with your ticket for an extra ZAR30. Vegetarian snacks and non-alcoholic drinks are also available, but no alcohol is served on Velvet Sky flights.
In early 2011 there was an unfortunate incident in which a technical problem grounded Velvet Sky’s only plane. However, aviation safety standards in South Africa are stringent and this should be seen as an isolated incident. Where an airline only operates one plane, any grounding of that plane may cause far worse damage to their reputation than in the case of an airline with many planes in its fleet.
