South African carrier Airlink is set to launch its first-ever services between Cape Town, South Africa, and Mauritius later this year. The airline identifies this route as a suitable alternative that would allow passengers to avoid the crowds and hassle of flying through Johannesburg. What makes this more special is that the carrier will be operating its brand-new Embraer E195-E2 jets on this route.

The airline is launching this service, targeting leisure travelers, ensuring the itinerary offered allows passengers to maximize their holidays and time on the island. However, the carrier will be facing competition on this route.

New Route To The Indian Ocean

Credit: Embraer

South Africa’s Airlink is scheduled to commence direct flights, connecting Cape Town International Airport (CPT) with Mauritius Airport (MRU), later this year, on a twice-weekly frequency, starting October 2. While this marks the first time the airline will serve the popular island destination, the carrier will be entering a route which is already served by two competitors, Air Mauritius and South African Airways.

While the two carriers usually utilize their fleet of Airbus A330-900 and Airbus A320 aircraft, respectively, Airlink aims to operate its flights using its fleet of brand-new E195-E2 regional jets. At the time of writing, Airlink has not yet made available its itinerary for its CPT-MRU services, but the other two carriers operate their services as follows:

While Airlink has not published its itinerary, the carrier did state in its press release that it is timing these flights to be most suitable for leisure travelers to maximize their time in Mauritius. Furthermore, it also stated it will avoid red-eye flights. Therefore, Airlink’s itinerary would be more in line with that of South African Airways than Air Mauritius, with slightly longer block times marketed for either direction.

More About The E195-E2 Jets

Credit: Embraer

The carrier is an exclusive operator of Embraer jets, with its fleet consisting of aircraft ranging from Embraer 135s, all the way to the largest E195-E2s. Subsequently, the E2s are also the latest addition to the airline’s fleet, with the first of the type joining Airlink’s fleet in late December 2025. So how are these aircraft cabins configured?

As per the airline’s press release, the aircraft deployed on this route will have a business cabin, which can accommodate 12 passengers in a 1-2 layout, followed by an economy cabin with seating for 112 passengers in a 2-2 layout. This brings the total seating capacity up to 124 seats. In comparison, Embraer’s technical specification for the aircraft type indicates it can accommodate a maximum of 146 passengers in an all-economy configuration.

This indicates that the airline has focused on comfort, ensuring passengers do not feel cramped on such long flights. Furthermore, like the remainder of the airline’s Embraer jets, Airlink’s E195-E2s also only feature window and aisle seats and do not have middle seats in their cabins either.

What Else Can Passengers Expect On This Flight?

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The carrier, focusing on the leisure market segment, also states that CPT would be a suitable alternative and provide a much more seamless ground experience compared to Johannesburg Airport (JNB). Apart from relatively spacious cabins and the airline marketing its legroom offerings, passengers can expect more from the airline.

The carrier has stated all passengers will receive complimentary meals and refreshments onboard Airlink flights to Mauritius. Furthermore, the carrier has also stated that economy passengers receive 20kg – 30kg luggage allowance, depending on the fare category booked. Additionally, the airline has also stated that all passengers would be entitled to an additional 15kg allowance exclusively for carrying sporting equipment.

The manufacturer also states that the aircraft type boasts an operational range of 3,000 nm (5,556 km) when flying with full passengers. Considering Airlink’s less-dense cabin configuration, along with an expected block time of nearly 6.5 hours for the CPT – MRU leg, this route could also be considered among the world’s longest E195-E2 routes in terms of flight duration.