South African Airways (SAA) returns to the skies on 23 September after being grounded for more than a year. It returns as a much leaner airline, beating its competitors with the cheapest flights between Cape Town and Johannesburg.

The country's national carrier has reemerged following a protracted business rescue process which followed years of serious financial losses and costly government bailouts. But the SAA which relaunches in late-September is a different incarnation of the national carrier which last flew in March and enters an industry ravaged by Covid-19.

For starters, the airline won't return as a purely state-owned enterprise, and has found a private equity partner – accounting for 51% of the national carrier – in Takatso Consortium.

Reduced international routes

Whereas SAA used to fly to 20 destinations across 6 continents, it will now - operating a reduced fleet with a smaller number of pilots - only service seven destinations.

It will only operate one domestic route – Africa's busiest – between Johannesburg and Cape Town. It will also fly to Kinshasa, Harare, Lusaka, Maputo, and Accra on the African continent with plans to include Mumbai. (Lagos has been dropped)

"More destinations will be added to the route network as it ramps up operations in response to market conditions," said SAA's Interim CEO Thomas Kgokolo on Wednesday.

Cheapest flights

Re-entering the market, at a time when airline's have had to fight to stay afloat during the pandemic, SAA's ticket prices are now more competitive.

In the case of its one-way flights from Johannesburg to Cape Town in the last week of September, SAA is more affordable than all other domestic airlines and is 5% cheaper than South Africa's newest airline, LIFT.

Ghana

SAA is the only airline offering direct flights between South Africa and Ghana. It's furthest flight currently available to book to Kotoka International Airport in Accra, Ghana, is competitively priced with other regional airlines, like Ethiopian Airlines, which requires a stop-over less than three hours away in Addis Ababa. RwandAir and Kenya Airways, although cheaper than SAA, also have stopovers. SAA flies directly to Accra, giving it an edge in the regional market.

https://www.businessinsider.co.za/the-cheapest-flights-from-joburg-to-cape-town-on-saa-2021-8

Every body is dropping Nigeria

Welcome to the zoo.

While one country in West Africa is talking about cows.

if you know the country "Like".


if you don't know "share".

Yeah we know they drop Nigeria, Buhari is a bad omen, crazy cow advocate.

Ghana again, why this keeps happening. Southy knows something bad is coming to Naija o

Nigeria deserves what ever she's getting, 2023, Nigerians, out of religious and tribal sentiments would still vote for a thief like Atiku, Tinubu or Orji Uzo Kalu or even for the ass licking pastor Osinbajo and spend the next 8 years groaning.

Lagos-Johannesburg was becoming increasingly less lucrative for SAA and others.

abouzaid:
Nigeria deserves what ever she's getting, 2023, Nigerians, out of religious and tribal sentiments would still vote for a thief like Atiku, Tinubu or Orji Uzo Kalu or even for the ass licking pastor Osinbajo and spend the next 8 years groaning.

Check what happened to the route numbers after the 2016 recession.

'WE'VE DONE OUR HOMEWORK': SAA CEO SAYS ITS ROUTES WILL BE LUCRATIVE

SAA’s interim CEO Thomas Kgolo said that the airline had chosen to resume flights on financially lucrative routes.

Kgokolo said that they had done their homework and had chosen profitable routes.

“We can’t fly for the sake of flying, but we've looked at the demand, like I said earlier as well. We've done our research as well and we believe that we have chosen the routes that give us a better chance of competing,” Kgolo said.

https://ewn.co.za/2021/08/26/we-ve-done-our-homework-saa-ceo-says-its-routes-will-be-lucrative

SportsHD:
Welcome to the zoo.

na your Biafra be zoo

fools everywhere

Interesting.

Flew SAA in 2017 to Sydney. Average service, with good movies in flight but no internet.

Their stopover hours is also too long at OR Tambo Airport in Joburg

theTranscriber:
na your Biafra be zoo

fools everywhere

Big fools.

One idiot posted on Eurosport yesterday that Nigeria is a hell, when the question asked is on football.

I answered him that if Nigeria was hell, he would not have access to internet and probably be hiding instead of posting on Facebook.

Yes, there are challenges, but exaggerating and using every opportunity to insult the country is absolute madness

davodyguy:

Big fools.

One idiot posted on Eurosport yesterday that Nigeria is a hell, when the question asked is on football.

I answered him that if Nigeria was hell, he would not have access to internet and probably be hiding instead of posting on Facebook.

Yes, there are challenges, but exaggerating and using every opportunity to insult the country is absolute madness

they just love making Nigeria look bad
just to push their IPOB lies
imagine a Nigerian calling Nigeria a zoo on a south African topic on Nairaland a Nigerian forum?

I don't just know how they think
now you see other African countries and even black Americans calling us zoogerians because of these fools

yet these IPOB guys destroy the image of this already fragile nation abroad with their love for drug dealing

I just taya!

Dieuetla:
Every body is dropping Nigeria

You can say they dropped UK, USA and Canada too, since these were their routes prior to the pandemic

theTranscriber:
they just love making Nigeria look bad
just to push their IPOB lies
imagine a Nigerian calling Nigeria a zoo on a south African topic on Nairaland a Nigerian forum?

I don't just know how they think
now you see other African countries and even black Americans calling us zoogerians because of these fools

yet these IPOB guys destroy the image of this already fragile nation abroad with their love for drug dealing

I just taya!

The article says SAA would now be flay to only 7 locations, compared to 20 as of 2020.

Let's call the other 13 locations left out zoo too nah. No be so?

davodyguy:

The article says SAA would now be flay to only 7 locations, compared to 20 as of 2020.

Let's call the other 13 locations left out zoo too nah. No be so?

Questions should be asked though why SAA would drop a route with only one competitor for direct flights - Air Peace. My arguement was that the route is increasingly becoming unlucrative - dwindling numbers especially after the 2016 recession in Nigeria (check graphic in earlier posts). SAA has not given an official response for this but they said they want routes they can be competitive in.

I think the reason they're not flying to Europe anymore is because of the European competition and Emirates.

theTranscriber:
they just love making Nigeria look bad
just to push their IPOB lies
imagine a Nigerian calling Nigeria a zoo on a south African topic on Nairaland a Nigerian forum?

Does it make it worse - extra treasonous?