South African Airways ‘still planning UK return’, chief vows

John Lamola told Southern Africa’s Travel News the carrier, which has been reborn following financial difficulties, had the slots for another three years.

The 14 weekly slots were until March leased to Qatar Airways, but the reformed SAA currently has no long-haul aircraft with which to relaunch its Heathrow-Johannesburg route.

However, SAA, which relaunched in June 2021 with 51% private investment, is under government pressure to reconnect the country with Europe. In a statement, it said it had got the green light for fleet expansion “to pave the way for the national carrier to relaunch international routes”.

Lamola said a plan to lease six new aircraft had been approved by the minister of finance and the minister of public enterprises.

“The aircraft will be delivered before the end of this calendar year, and the planes include a wide-body aircraft as well as five narrow-body aircraft – all of them Airbus equipment,” Lamola said.

“We are excited, as SAA, to lay the groundwork for the relaunch of our first international route since coming out of business rescue and since the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. We will announce the new route in the coming few weeks, and we will open commercial marketing and sales for it.”

He added an Airbus A330 wide-body had already been secured from lessors but that two of these would be needed to resume the London service.

SAA shut its London office last July after 70 years and appointed Discover the World as its UK general sales agent after suspending its Heathrow services.