Mango celebrates its 5th Birthday

It does not seem so long ago that South Africa saw its first low-cost, no-frills airline launch affordable flights for the South African public, yet one of the last airlines to join the industry, Mango Airlines, has just turned 5.

Mango celebrates a half a decade of growth. With the company sustaining its position in the industry and maintaining a 30% market share on the low cost routes that it operates. The airline currently flies more than 30 000km a day throughout the country.
Despite facing the international oil crisis 18 months into operations in 2008, and the global recession in 2009 and 2010 which shrunk the travel market overnight, Mango airlines maintained their position in the market.

In order to grow the market, Mango Airlines is introducing a number of innovations to improve their accessibility and products. Mango’s innovations include being the first airline to retail flights through Shoprite Checkers Money Market and the only airline to accept store charge cards (Edcon) as payment online set Mango apart from their competitors in the low cost airline industry.

Mango Airlines, operated by South African Airways, will also be the first low-cost airline to offer internet and WiFi service for their passengers. This service is expected to commence in February 2012 with prices are expected to be lower than current 3G rates.

As part of their 5th birthday celebrations, Mango Airlines launched their “ëKindness Month” initiative to encourage South Africans to show kindness to each other. The kindness initiative will continue until the 15th December 2011 as the airline plans to rally the public into performing good deeds ñ in line with the Pay It Forward principal. The initiative also encourages Mango staff to perform community services annually. South Africans can nominate recent acts of kindness by others and post it on the airline’s Facebook page, Tweet or post it on the airline’s blog.
Mango intends to celebrate these acts across its media while rewarding verified acts with various token gestures in return.

The instantly recognisable bright orange of Mango Airlines, has successfully maintained its position in the low-cost flight industry for half a decade, and according to the company’s CEO Nico Bezuidenhout, intends to do even better in the next five years.