AIRLINE / ROUTES - South African Airways' added leases delayed to 2026

South African Airways' network rebuilding strategy has been set back, as an A320-200 and two A330-200s originally scheduled for delivery in 2025 from various lessors are now expected only in 2026, after their current operators chose to retain the aircraft longer, according to CCO Tebogo Tsimane.

He told Aviation Week at the recent 57th annual general assembly of the African Airlines Association (AFRAA) in Luanda, Angola, that the setback has "put our plan behind. This capacity is important to improve our codeshares and our connectivity because we are a network carrier and we are building a connecting schedule around Johannesburg O.R. Tambo, and then secondarily around Cape Town International."

SAA is looking for additional leased A330s to enter service in the second half of 2026, Tsimane said.

Group CEO John Lamola recently told ch-aviation that two A330-300s from flynas (XY, Riyadh), which were awaiting cabin modifications at Istanbul Airport, are no longer being taken due to high modification costs. He said replacements had been identified but declined to elaborate.

Lamola confirmed to ch-aviation at the AFRAA event that SAA is poised to issue a request for proposals (RFP) for its long-term fleet requirements before the end of 2025. The news was broken by ch-aviation in an earlier interview with Lamola, where he disclosed that SAA plans to purchase 28 new-generation airframes plus accompanying engines to be delivered from 2032 as part of its long-term fleet plan.

The airline is looking to acquire up to 16 widebodies for long-haul routes to be delivered in tranches of five from 2032, plus 12 new-generation narrowbodies, also to be delivered from 2032, to replace the airline’s A320-200s, whose leases are expiring.

Codeshare partnerships

In the meantime, SAA is accelerating its partnership growth, having signed new codeshare agreements with TAAG Angola Airlines in Luanda on December 1. SAA will add its flight code to TAAG-operated flights from Johannesburg and Cape Town to Luanda Dr António Agostinho Neto and onward connections to Lisbon and São Paulo Guarulhos.

This was followed by a codeshare agreement between SAA and Turkish Airlines on December 4, signed alongside a Star Alliance Chief Executive Board meeting in Geneva. SAA will codeshare on Turkish-operated flights from Istanbul to Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban King Shaka, Frankfurt International, Paris CDG, and London Heathrow.

This follows similar commercial partnerships in 2025 with Lufthansa, Emirates, and CemAir.

SAA currently operates an in-house fleet of 18 aircraft, including fourteen leased A320-200s, two leased A330-300s, and two company-owned A340-300s. In addition, it wet-leases one A330-300 from Hi Fly Malta for added capacity regionally to Accra and Abidjan and intercontinentally to Brazil; and two B737-800s from SunExpress to boost domestic capacity over the December peak summer holiday season in South Africa.

CH Aviation

FLEET / HYBRID C/S - SUNEXPRESS AND SOUTH AFRICAN AIRWAYS STRENGTHEN PARTNERSHIP WITH EXPANDED WINTER OPERATIONS

SunExpress, a joint venture of Turkish Airlines and Lufthansa, will strengthen its partnership with South African Airways (SAA) by expanding operations in the upcoming European winter season.

Building on the successful first year of their partnership, SunExpress will now double its leased fleet to SAA, providing four Boeing 737-800 aircraft with cockpit as well as maintenance crew for a six-month period. The first aircraft will start operations at the beginning of November. The second season of damp lease operations will feature a fresh cabin configuration with 16 premium seats and 159 economy seats.

This expanded capacity will enable SunExpress to support SAA with 134 weekly flights across three routes, ensuring broader connectivity and greater travel options.

SunExpress

Photo: Jacobus Saayman

B737-8JP(WL) / TC-SPR

 

NEW AIRCRAFT -

Various aviation news sites are reporting that South African Airways is looking into expanding its longhaul network and fleet. Currently, the airline is only operating regional international flight but is planning to expand with flights to Perth and Sao Paulo at the end of March 2023. For this, it will use its single Airbus A330-300.

As a next phase of its international expansion, the airline is looking into leasing one or several Airbus A350-900s which it will use on flights to Frankfurt, London and Washington, all routes the airline previously served as well.

To fund all of this, South African Airways is receiving a financial injection of the government and is also in the process of being taken-over (for 51%) by Takatso Aviation, the company behind low-cost carrier Lift.

South African Airways resumed operations on 23 September 2021 after it was declared bankrupt in 2019. It currently operates a fleet of ten aircraft consisting of three Airbus A319s, five A320s, one A330-300 and one A340-300.

The airline has also, previously, operated the A350. Between November 2019 and April 2020, SAA leased four A350-900s, two from Avolon and two from Air Mauritius.

Photo by South African Airways.

SAA restarts without funding from private investor

The Takatso Consortium, the announced preferred strategic equity partner of South African Airways (SA, Johannesburg O.R. Tambo), has made it clear that it is not yet involved in the management, funding, or relaunch of the airline, which started flying again today (September 23, 2021) after a protracted business rescue process.

The consortium says it is still negotiating with the government around the share purchase agreement for 51% of SAA, which is subject to various approvals and pre-conditions. “Our focus now is on concluding the share purchase agreement. It’s a large and complex transaction and we anticipate that it will take some time, but there is strong commitment from both parties to ensuring the agreement is finalised,” Takatso chief executive officer Gidon Novick explained in a statement.

However, with the deal not yet concluded, SAA does not yet have access to the ZAR3 billion rand (USD203.5 million) that Takatso is supposed to inject over the next three years for the airline's operating costs.

Instead, SAA will be using ZAR500 million (USD33.8 million) working capital ring-fenced by its previous administrators for its restart. The money forms part of the ZAR10.5 billion (USD712.3 million) bailout from the state that is to cover the airline's legacy debts. Of this amount, SAA is also sharing ZAR2.7 billion (USD183 million) with its cash-strapped subsidiaries, one of which, low-cost Mango Airlines (JE, Johannesburg O.R. Tambo), entered into voluntary administration on July 28, 2021, having been excluded from the parent company's business rescue process.

“The relaunch of the airline is separate to the engagement between Takatso and the Department of Public Enterprises (DPE) to acquire a 51% stake in SAA. We have progressed the due diligence process of SAA, which is now substantially complete, and no material issues have been identified,” Novick explained.

Takatso is a joint venture between Johannesburg asset fund manager Harith General Partners, the majority shareholder in the SAA transaction and ACMI specialist Global Aviation Operations (GE, Johannesburg O.R. Tambo), the minority shareholders in the venture, which also owns the Lift Airlines brand.

As reported previously, SAA resumes commercial passenger operations on one domestic and five regional routes (Accra, Kinshasa N'Djili, Lusaka, Harare Int'l, and Maputo), having exited bankruptcy protection on April 30, 2021. It is using three A319-100s leased from Castlelake; one A330-300 leased from Aero Capital Solutions, and two A330-200s leased from Goshawk.

Its first flight, SA 317, an A320-200 ZS-SZJ (msn 6478), departed Johannesburg O.R. Tambo at 08:17L (06:17Z) and was due to arrive in Cape Town at 10:19L (08:29Z), Flightradar24 ADS-B data showed.

ch aviation

South African Airways needs new long-haul fleet - CEO

 

South African Airways (SA, Johannesburg O.R. Tambo) will need to operate a more modern wide-body fleet on intercontinental routes and engage in more cooperative partnerships with other airlines once it returns to the international market after the COVID-19 crisis, says acting chief executive officer, Thomas Kgokolo.

Speaking during an online webinar hosted by Business Day “Dialogues”, he said SAA eventually intends to return to routes that were previously revenue-generating, such as to the UK, Germany, the USA, and Brazil. However, referring to the fuel-inefficiency of the airline’s remaining two own 18-year-old A340-600s, he said: “We must ensure that we get the right fleet to do those trips, to minimise our costs, and be able to compete. One of the strategies is to be much more collaborative in the way we do business. Where we can do partnerships with other airlines, such as Emirates and Qatar Airways, we will do so, but our focus right now will be on stimulating the regional market and making sure that the region is interconnected."

SAA is scheduled to restart domestic and regional flights on September 23 after emerging from 19 months in bankruptcy protection. It will operate only one domestic route between Johannesburg O.R. Tambo and Cape Town, and five regional routes including Accra (Ghana), Kinshasa N'Djili (DRC), Harare Int'l (Zimbabwe), Lusaka (Zambia), and Maputo (Mozambique). Domestically, based on ticket sales, it was expecting 75% load factors, Kgokolo said. He was concerned about low travel demand on regional routes impacted by COVID-19, but believed there was potential for route growth between Lagos and Johannesburg due to higher demand and fewer competitors.

For its initial restart, SAA will use three 17-year-old A319-100s leased from Castlelake and one four-year-old A330-300 leased from Aero Capital Solutions, all of which were stored at Johannesburg O.R. Tambo during the airline’s business rescue process; as well as two seven-year-old A320-200s leased from Goshawk, which recently returned to Johannesburg from maintenance storage in Abu Dhabi Int'l.

Its A340-600s remain in storage at Johannesburg. Four A350-900s previously operated on long-haul routes have been returned to their owners or lessors, of which two have gone back to Avolon and are currently stored at Teruel; and two to Air Mauritius, of which one is active and the other is stored at Mauritius, ch-aviation fleets advanced data reveals.

Despite having emerged solvent from administration following a ZAR10.5 billion rand (USD720 million) state bailout, a lot was still to be done to address legacy issues and to dissuade public scepticism in the market, Kgokolo said. “The biggest lesson learnt through the business rescue process is the need to manage costs effectively and how much brand damage was done to SAA through the business rescue process,” he said.

As part of the restructuring of SAA, the government has agreed to sell 49% to a new strategic equity partner, the Takatso Consortium, comprising asset fund manager Harith General Partners and ACMI-specialist Global Aviation Operations. The investors are to provide ZAR3 billion (USD205 million) in bridging finance for SAA in the next three years, while the state aid will go towards covering the carrier’s historical debts.

Kgokolo confirmed that both parties had concluded their due diligence procedures and were now negotiating a share purchase agreement, but the process was likely to be lengthy as it would still have to get the green light from the country's competition authority. “Generally a deal like this will still be subject to the Competition Commission and those processes can be complex and take time,” he said.

ch aviation

South African Airways seeks to return 19 leased aircraft

South African Airways (SA, Johannesburg O.R. Tambo) is planning to return 19 out of its 40 dry-leased aircraft and is renegotiating the terms of the leases on some of the units it wants to retain, a leaked draft business rescue plan shows.

According to the plan, the airline has suspended the leases and is in the process of negotiating the terms of the return of the following aircraft:
seven A319-100s dry-leased from Castlelake (three), Marlborough Finance, Genesis Aircraft Services, Stellar Aircraft Leasing, and Air Lease Corporation (one each);
one A330-200 dry-leased from Avolon;
three A340-300s dry-leased from Natixis Lease.

South African Airways has already agreed on the return of the following aircraft:
three A340-600s dry-leased from AerCap;
five A330-200s dry-leased from Aircastle (four) and Aviation Capital Group (one).

Also, the leases on two B737-300(F)s from GECAS expired, and the aircraft were returned. As such, South African Airways no longer operates any in-house freighter aircraft.

The bankrupt state-owned carrier has also negotiated a reduction in lease rates for its remaining dry-leased aircraft and said that the "amendment and finalisation of lease agreements [is] suspended, [pending] clarity on future of SAA". These aircraft are:
ten A320-200s dry-leased from GECAS, Goshawk (three each), CMB Financial Leasing, and Standard Chartered Aviation Finance (two each);
five A330-300s dry-leased CMB Financial Leasing (two), Airborne Capital, Aergo Capital, and Seraph Aviation Management (one each).

South African Airways' business rescue practitioners said that the retention of the carrier's newest aircraft, four A350-900s (two leased from Air Mauritius and two from Avolon via a sublease from Hainan Airlines) would be "dependant on the future route network of the airline".

SAA owns a further five A340-300s and four -600s, all of which are up for sale.

ch aviation

South African Airways adds A350 Frankfurt service from Feb 2020

South African Airways in this week’s schedule update filed aircraft changes for Johannesburg – Frankfurt route. From 02FEB20, the airline plans to operate Airbus A350-900XWB aircraft on this route, replacing Airbus A340-600 aircraft.

This route is served on daily basis.

SA260 JNB2025 – 0615+1FRA 359 D
SA261 FRA2045 – 0825+1JNB 359 D

Routes Online

South African Airways Introduces New State-Of-The-Art Airbus A330-300 Aircraft On Washington, DC Route

Aircraft features new luxurious Premium Business Class product with enhanced privacy and direct aisle access at every seat

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Feb. 13, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- South African Airways (SAA), the national carrier of South Africa and Africa's most awarded airline has introduced its new Airbus A330-300 wide-body aircraft on the three-times weekly route between Washington, DC Dulles International Airport and Johannesburg O.R. Tambo International Airport via Dakar, Senegal. The new A330-300s offer state-of-the-art technology, are very environmentally friendly and SAA customers will enjoy the latest innovations in onboard comfort and amenities.

The interior design of SAA's A330-300s provide a comfortable environment for long-haul travel with warm, neutral colors, textures and finishes that are inspired by the airline's African culture and heritage. In SAA's seating configuration, the aircraft has the capacity for a total of 249 passengers, with 46 seats in Premium Business Class and 203 seats in Economy Class. With the launch of this new aircraft, SAA has introduced an upgraded Premium Business Class product that offers staggered seating in a 1-2-1 configuration, which provides every passenger the convenience of direct aisle access. The Premium Business Class seats recline into 180° flat-beds and offer increased privacy to provide customers with a restful flight. Gourmet meals, award-winning South African wines, an improved on-demand entertainment system with extensive programming, noise cancelling headphone and PC power / USB ports available at every seat further enhances the inflight experience for SAA's Premium Business Class customers.


SAA's Economy Class customers will enjoy the spaciousness of the cabin with newly designed slim-line seats in a 2-4-2 configuration that offer spacious legroom and extra personal space. Each seat is equipped with a USB port and access to PC power ports, an on-demand entertainment system with 10" screen to view, movies, television shows, interactive games or audio programming with over 170 music selections. The experience for Economy Class customers also features a selection of freshly prepared meals, coupled with complimentary South African wines and bar service, and an amenity kit to freshen-up during flight.

"We are excited to introduce the Airbus A330-300 on the Washington, DC route to offer our customers a new and innovative Premium Business Class product and, a spacious and enhanced Economy Class cabin," said Todd Neuman, executive vice president, the Americas for South African Airways. "The A330-300 has strong passenger appeal, which will enable SAA to continue providing a high-quality customer experience and the world-class service that has earned us the Skytrax 4-Star rating for 14 consecutive years."

Beginning in June 2017, SAA will also introduce the A330-300 on its four-weekly flights between Washington, DC, Accra, Ghana and Johannesburg, to offer daily service in the Washington, DC market with this aircraft.

The latest and most advanced model of the Airbus A330-300 offers an increased maximum take-off weight of 242 tons and has an extended range of up to 6,350 nautical miles. This superior combination of payload and range will enable SAA to expand its route network in Africa and beyond. The A330-300 compliments SAA's existing Airbus fleet of wide-body A340-600, A340-300, A330-200 and narrow-body A319 and A320 aircraft.



For SAA reservations and flight information, customers, should visit www.flysaa.com, call SAA Reservations at 1-(800) 722-9675 or contact their professional travel consultant.

South African planned A330-300 operations as of 22SEP16

South African Airways in recent weeks has made additional adjustment to planned Airbus A330-300 operation, scheduled to enter service in December 2016. Latest update sees minor changes to Northern summer 2017 operations. As of 22SEP16, planned A330-300 service entry as follow.

eff 01DEC16 Johannesburg – Lagos 1 daily
eff 01JAN17 Johannesburg – Sao Paulo Guarulhos 6 weekly, 7 weekly from 04APR17
eff 02FEB17 Johannesburg – Dakar – Washington Dulles 3 weekly
eff 01APR17 Johannesburg – Munich Alternating days. A330-300 will operate 3 weekly from 06JUN17 instead of daily, based on recent update
eff 02JUN17 Johannesburg – Accra – Washington Dulles 4 weekly

Jim Liu - Data & Analysis Manager - Airlineroute, Routesonline

South African outlines A330-300 operations from Dec 2016

South African Airways recently has filed planned operation for its new Airbus A330-300 aircraft, scheduled to enter service by the end of this year. Planned A330-300 operation as follow.

eff 01DEC16 Johannesburg – Lagos 1 daily

eff 01JAN17 Johannesburg – Sao Paulo Guarulhos 6 weekly, 7 weekly from 04APR17

eff 02FEB17 Johannesburg – Dakar – Washington Dulles 3 weekly

eff 01APR17 Johannesburg – Munich Alternating days, daily by 04JUN17

Configuration of the airline’s A330-300 is J46Y203.

Jim Liu - Data & Analysis Manager - Airlineroute, Routesonline

South African Airways (SAA) takes delivery of its first two A320s

SAA to reduce costs and boost revenue with new A320 fleet

South African Airways (SAA) has taken delivery of its first two A320s out of a total of 20 A320 Family aircraft ordered from Airbus in 2010. The development is set to deliver cost efficiencies and allow SAA to expand its Sub-Sahara regional route network and boost revenue in the rapidly growing market.

The airline’s A320s, powered by IAE-V2500 engines, feature a two class cabin layout, seating 24 passengers in business class and 114 in economy. The A320s will replace its present fleet of 737-800s and will augment the A319s it already has in service and mark the latest phase of SAA’s fleet modernization plan.

“We are delighted to receive our first two A320 aircraft. Operating a modern and homogenous fleet plays a significant role in cost reduction and boosting revenue. The A320 will assist SAA to achieve this while providing our passengers with a more superior cabin product,” said Monwabisi Kalawe, SAA’s Chief Executive Officer.

“SAA has long been regarded as a bellwether for Africa on aircraft selection and we are looking forward to expanding our relationship. Our reliable, fuel efficient and comfortable A320s will give SAA a competitive edge and help the airline achieve sustainable profitability,” said John Leahy, Airbus Chief Operating Officer, Customers.

The A320 Family is the world’s best-selling and most modern single aisle aircraft Family. To date, over 9,600 aircraft have been ordered and more than 5,600 delivered to over 380 customers and operators worldwide. With proven reliability and extended servicing periods, the A320 Family has the lowest operating costs of any single-aisle aircraft.

SOUTH AFRICAN AIRWAYS - A320-200 - F-WWDF

Alain Charpentier - TLS