What Kulula.com does

Kulula.com is a South African low-cost airline and digital travel platform operated as a brand of Comair Limited (private company, registration 1967/006783/06). Founded in 2001, it built a domestic and regional network spanning South African cities (Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, Lanseria, George, Port Elizabeth, East London) plus regional flights to Harare, Windhoek, and international holiday destinations such as Victoria Falls and Mauritius. The company operated a fleet of Boeing 737-800 Next-Generation aircraft, held IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) accreditation, and was recognised as a top-10 safest low-cost airline globally by AirlineRatings.com in 2015 and Best Low-Cost Airline in Africa by Skytrax in 2007 and 2016.

The platform is built on Sabre Airline Solutions booking software with web and mobile (iOS/Android) applications, integrated payment processing (PCI DSS compliant via Sabre QSA partnership, Entrust SSL certificate), and a constellation of third-party integrations. Core products include branded fare tiers (Just, Getaway, Smart, Flex), ancillary extras (extra baggage at R415 per bag, seat selection, Q-Jump priority boarding), dynamic packaging via Combine and Save (up to 20% on flight + car + hotel bundles), Kulula Holidays packages, and partnered car hire (Europcar, Tempest) and accommodation (Tsogo Sun, Protea Hotels). Loyalty is anchored by the Discovery Vitality partnership (up to 35% flight discounts, up to 75% with Discovery Bank), Travelbank stored-credit accounts, Kulula ID profiles, and the Avios points conversion programme (launched June 2016).

The business model combines flight ticket sales (transaction revenue), ancillary service fees, and commission revenue from hotel and car hire bookings. Pricing varies by route, date, and fare brand; customer acquisition runs through direct-to-consumer digital channels, the Discovery Vitality channel partnership, interline/codeshare agreements (Delta, Virgin Atlantic, Air France, Kenya Airways, Hahn Air, British Airways operated by Comair), and the FirstRand Bank-issued kulula credit card. Effective 1 June 2022, kulula.com and British Airways (operated by Comair) suspended all flight operations pending successful additional funding; the website continues to operate for ancillary products. In June 2023, Comair acquired PLANETICS for an undisclosed amount, signalling a post-suspension diversification or pivot.

Name

Kulula.com

Legal name

Comair Limited

Website

https://kulula.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Closed

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Kulula.com is a South African low-cost airline and digital travel platform operated by Comair Limited, offering domestic and regional flights, hotels, car hire, and holiday packages via Sabre-powered web and mobile channels. Flight operations have been suspended since June 2022 pending additional funding.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Low-Cost Air Travel

NAICS

All Other Travel Arrangement and Reservation Services (561599), Travel Agencies (561510)

SIC

Air Transportation, Nonscheduled (4522)

akta.pro primary industry

Hybrid Passenger + Belly Cargo Regional Operators (THABACAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Airline Direct Booking Engines (IBEs) (THALADAC), Online Booking & Reservation Platforms (B2B/B2C) (THALAMAA)

Keywords

• Low-cost airline
• Flight booking
• Domestic air travel
• Holiday packages
• Car rental booking

Headquarters

HQ city

Gauteng

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Flight Ticket Sales: Primary revenue from domestic and regional flight bookings across South Africa and neighbouring countries
2. Ancillary Services: Revenue from extra baggage fees (R415 per additional bag), seat selection, priority boarding, lounge access, Q-Jump fast-track, and travel insurance
3. Hotel Bookings: Commission revenue from hotel accommodation bookings made through the platform
4. Car Hire Bookings: Commission revenue from car hire bookings through Europcar and Tempest partnerships
5. Holiday Packages: Revenue from bundled holiday packages combining flights, hotels, and car hire through kulula holidays
6. Website Transaction Volume: The company generates more than R2 billion in annual turnover on its website, making it South Africa's biggest online retailer

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Kulula.com is a South African low-cost airline brand of Comair Limited that sells domestic and regional flight tickets directly to consumers through its website, mobile app, and contact centre. The platform also offers car hire, hotel accommodation, and holiday package bookings either as standalone services or combined with flight bookings under the Combine-and-Save dynamic packaging feature.

Product overview

Kulula.com is a South African low-cost airline and digital travel platform operated by Comair Limited, offering a comprehensive one-stop travel booking portal that extends beyond its core airline into flights, car hire, accommodation, and dynamic package bundling. The platform operates on a hub-and-spoke model anchored by the kulula.com flights product, supplemented by partnered car rental services (Europcar and Tempest), hotel and accommodation booking (with Discovery Vitality Hotel Collection, Tsogo Sun, and Protea Hotels), and Kulula Holidays package tours to domestic and international destinations. Supporting the core booking engine are add-on modules including Kulula ID (loyalty profiles), Travelbank (stored-payment account), Discovery Vitality and Discovery Miles rewards integration, Avios points conversion, branded fare tiers, Q-Jump priority boarding, group and corporate travel management, pre-bookable airport transfers via EZ Shuttle, and ancillary extras such as extra baggage and seat selection. The platform also maintains sub-brands including Kulula Kicks (adventure add-ons), the Kulula Credit Card (co-branded with FirstRand Bank), and the Jetsetter Loyalty Club, alongside interline and codeshare agreements with British Airways (operated by Comair), Delta Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, Kenya Airways, Air France, and Hahn Air.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Kulula Air: Rebranded identity introduced in 2008 as part of kulula's expansion into lifestyle and travel services.
• Kulula Travel
• Kulula Connect
• Slow in the City
• Kulula Holidays

Products and services

• Kulula.com Flights Core low-cost airline booking service offering domestic South African routes (Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, Lanseria, George, Port Elizabeth, East London) and regional flights (Harare, Windhoek) with branded fare tiers for different flexibility and baggage inclusions.
• Car Hire Booking Service Car rental booking service offered via partnerships with Europcar (18,500+ vehicles in 120+ southern African locations) and Tempest Car Hire (3,000+ vehicles at ACSA airports, Gautrain nodes, and major metros), bookable standalone or bundled with flights.
• Hotel Bookings Hotel accommodation booking service across South African destinations including Cape Town, Durban, Port Elizabeth, Johannesburg, East London, Kruger, Drakensberg, Garden Route, and Stellenbosch, with partner hotel groups including Tsogo Sun and Protea Hotels and Vitality Hotel Collection.
• Combine and Save (Combos)
• Kulula Holidays
• Kulula.com Mobile App
• Travelbank
• Branded Fares
• Q-Jump Priority Boarding
• Group Bookings
• Business Travel (CorporateDirect)
• EZ Shuttle Airport Transfers
• Kulula Credit Card
• Kulula Kicks
• Daddy's Deals
• Jetsetter Loyalty Club
• Khuluma In-flight Magazine
• Onboard Menu (In-flight Catering)

Quantifiable outcome

• Over R2 billion in annual website turnover
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration14 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Discovery VitalitycoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2006Discovery Vitality health programme members receive exclusive discounts on kulula flights (up to 35%), 72-hour early access to new bookings, and integration with Discovery Bank for enhanced savings up to 75%. Vitality Travel subsidiary services Discovery's travel programme.
• EuropcarcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership with Europcar provides fleet of over 18,500 vehicles across 120+ locations in 5 southern African countries, with global access to 220,000+ vehicles in 160+ countries. Offers discounts for Discovery Vitality members and bundled booking options.
• Tempest Car HirecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTempest Car Hire offers fleet of over 3,000 vehicles from economy to people carriers at ACSA airports, Gautrain nodes, and major metro locations. Provides car rental integration with kulula flight bookings.
• EZ ShuttleminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAirport transfer service partner providing shuttle transportation to and from airports for kulula customers.
• AvioscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerAvios partnership launched 2016 allowing kulula fans to collect and convert Avios points on kulula flights, redeemable against ANY flight at ANY time.
• Delta AirlinescoreTechnology or IntegrationInterline partnership announced March 2019 enabling ticket booking across both airlines' networks for seamless travel connections.
• Virgin AtlanticcoreTechnology or IntegrationInterline ticket agreement announced 2015 allowing connectivity between Virgin Atlantic and kulula flights.
• Hahn AirminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGerman airline partnership providing global distribution services for kulula tickets through Hahn Air's network.
• Air FrancecoreTechnology or IntegrationCodeshare partnership announced November 2014 with Air France operating under British Airways branding.
• Tsogo SuncoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHotel partner offering accommodation options across South Africa through kulula's booking platform.
• Protea HotelscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHotel partner providing accommodation options across South Africa, integrated into kulula's hotel booking and holiday package offerings.
• Food & Trees for AfricaminorOthersGreen initiative partnership (Project Green launched 2007) for environmental sustainability, including carbon offset programmes.
• Red Cross War Memorial Children's HospitalminorOthersCharitable partnership including radio station launch for children by children, hospital trust support, and community initiatives.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Kenya Airways: Kenyan flag carrier and existing kulula.com interline partner; connected to kulula.com through a Nairobi booking channel and provides an adjacent African network for partner comparison.

Direct peers

• Airlink: South African regional carrier operating Embraer jets across domestic and Southern African routes; overlaps with kulula.com on key regional and secondary domestic routes such as George, Port Elizabeth, East London, and Windhoek.
• Mango Airlines: South African government-linked low-cost carrier that suspended and subsequently relaunched operations; competes in the same price-sensitive domestic segment as kulula.com with comparable fare structures.
• FlySafair: South Africa's largest low-cost carrier operating domestic and regional Boeing 737 routes with a similar ancillary-driven model; the most direct head-to-head competitor to kulula.com in the SA LCC segment.

Emerging players

• Lift Airline: Newer South African low-cost carrier launched by former kulula.com executives, targeting the same leisure and business travellers with a low-cost digital-first model.
• CemAir: South African regional airline operating scheduled and charter services on thinner domestic and African routes; an emerging competitor in segments historically served by kulula.com.

Regional players

• RwandAir: State-owned Rwandan flag carrier with expanding intra-African network connecting through Kigali; overlaps with kulula.com's ambitions for regional Southern and East African connectivity.
• Fastjet: Pan-African low-cost carrier that has operated scheduled services in Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa; a regional peer in the broader African LCC space overlapping with kulula.com's Southern Africa footprint.

Broad incumbents

• South African Airways: South Africa's flag carrier offering scheduled domestic, regional and intercontinental services; competes with kulula.com on the same domestic trunk routes but with a full-service model.
• British Airways (Comair): The full-service sister brand operated by Comair Limited; same fleet, shared overhead and platform with kulula.com, suspended simultaneously in June 2022, representing a direct adjacent offering under the same parent.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/kulula
• Facebookfacebook.com/iflykulula

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kulula.com