The new regulations state that passengers can only have bottled water while onboard.

Minister of Transport, Fikile Mbalula, has published the latest travel regulations in the Government Gazette recently. This comes after the country has been downgraded to level 1 of the lockdown. 

In these new regulations, rules are set out for both international and domestic flight travel. One of the rules which are now under level 1 is that passengers are not allowed to enjoy any meals on board a domestic flight. 

Previously, airlines could offer prepacked meals to passengers. They just had to make sure they adhere to COVID-19 protocols and safety measures when preparing and dishing out the food. Now, they may only serve bottled water. The reasoning for this change in regulations is not all that clear. 

The regulations go further to say that passengers may not eat anything while on a domestic flight, which means that they cannot enjoy a snack they take on the aircraft as was usually the case. 

In terms of international flights, they are allowed at OR Tambo, Cape Town and King Shaka airports. This is contrary to what the president said during his address on Sunday when he stated that Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport or Lanseria International Airport would also be open to international flights. 

International flights may also operate during the hours of curfew and travellers catching international flights must present flight tickets if they are stopped by law enforcement while travelling to the airport between 00:00 and 04:00. Domestic flights, in turn, may not operate during the hours of curfew.