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Performers danced in the arrivals area, jets of water sprayed across the plane to welcome the first flight in more than six months.
International flights landed in South Africa for the first time in more than six months, landing amid a flurry of celebrations as coronavirus-related travel restrictions were lifted.
Jets of water were sprayed into an archway to welcome an Emirates flight from Dubai as it landed in the coastal city of Cape Town on Thursday.
In the arrivals areas, performers danced and played upbeat music as the team walked in a jumble of South African flags.
An Ethiopian Airlines flight landed shortly after flying from Addis Ababa.
“I am very happy to be back, my life is here,” said Nigerian graduate student Destiny Ugo, who he has been stuck abroad since a family visit in April and has been unable to resume his research at the University of Cape Town.
“I thought I was going to stay [home] for two weeks, but I ended up staying for eight months. “
Africa’s most industrialized economy sealed its borders at the beginning of a strict lockdown in late March to limit the spread of the new coronavirus.
Restrictions on movement and business have been gradually eased since May, but international borders remained closed until October 1 to avoid admitting infections from abroad.
German airline Lufthansa was the first European airline to resume operations in South Africa, with a flight from Frankfurt landing at Johannesburg’s OR Tambo International Airport at 8:30 am local time (06:30 GMT).
Planes also arrived from Kenya, Zambia and neighboring Zimbabwe.
An Emirates plane is doused with water by fire trucks after landing at Cape Town International Airport after flying from Dubai [Rodger Bosch/AFP]Desperate for visitors
The travel ban dealt a severe blow to the tourism industry, which typically employs around 1.5 million people and contributes more than 8.5 percent to gross domestic product (GDP), according to the Tourism Business Council. South Africa (TBCSA).
In July, the group estimated that each day the industry slowed represented a loss of R748 million ($ 45 million) in tourism spending.
As a result, more than 600,000 direct jobs have been eliminated.
Tourists from more than 50 countries with high infection rates remain banned for the time being, including major sources of foreign visitors such as the United Kingdom, Russia and the United States.
Those travel restrictions will be reviewed every two weeks.
COVID-19 infections and deaths south of the Sahara have remained low compared to the rest of the world.
South Africa has been relatively affected, with 674,339 infections and 16,734 deaths recorded to date, just under half the total number of cases detected on the continent.
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