After a year of no activity and nearly 18 months without a commercial flight, SAA will return to the airways today. Flight routes will include Johannesburg to Cape Town, Maputo, Harare, Accra, Lusaka, and Kinshasa SAA has not flown any commercial flights since the corona outbreak in March 2020 and all cargo and repatriation flights ceased operation due to financial challenges.
Interim CEO Thomas Kgokolo expressed his happiness as the SAA is resuming service after months of hard work, he looks forward to welcoming onboard their loyal customers, flying the South African flag, and following COVID-19 protocols. Mr. Kgokolo said tickets were put up for sale on August 26th and have been selling fast.
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The early turn up indicates that flights may be up to 75% full when operations will begin. Nevertheless, opening up additional routes may be difficult due to present travel restrictions.
As preparations for take-off are made, there is a deep sense of enthusiasm among Team SAA, with one clear goal in mind: to restore and sustain a profitable airline that once again assumes a leading role among local, continental, and worldwide carriers.
The airline has not operated any commercial flights since the outbreak of the corona pandemic. The airline operated cargo and repatriation flights until September 2020, when it had to stop all operations due to financial difficulties. After spending 17 months in administration, the South African government decided to sell a huge part of its ownership to Takatso Consortium in June.