Two more aircraft added to fleet for thriving SAA
SAA has reported that it plans to add five more aircraft to its fleet this year as its financial recovery gains momentum.
South African Airways (SAA) has strengthened its operations with the addition of two leased Airbus A320 aircraft, seeing its fleet size increase to 20 planes.
This is a significant milestone for the airline, which only three years ago emerged from business rescue with a drastically reduced fleet of six aircraft.
The newly acquired planes, sourced from AerCap, an aircraft leasing company, indicates just how the airline’s restored creditworthiness with international aviation companies.
SAA COLOURS
The two narrow-body A320s, now painted in SAA’s colours, arrived in Johannesburg within the last two weeks and, according to the aviation company, will be deployed on domestic and regional routes soon.
This expansion comes despite the global aviation industry struggling with supply chain constraints that have delayed new aircraft deliveries and increased the cost and scarcity of second-hand planes.
SAA confirmed that this year, it planned to add five aircraft to its fleet.
SAA reported that this growth aligns with its broader strategy of increasing capacity on its existing routes.
The airline has announced new connections between Johannesburg and Dar es Salaam, while also increasing flight frequencies to key destinations.
SAA also reported that flights to Harare in Zimbabwe and Lusaka in Zambia will now operate 12 times per week, up from 10 and seven weekly flights, respectively.
Additional services to Lagos in Nigeria and Accra in Ghana have increased from three to four flights per week, and SAA now operates five weekly flights to Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The airline also began flights to Lubumbashi in the DRC, in November 2024.
IMPROVING SEAT CAPACITY
The airline’s interim CEO, Professor John Lamola, explained that the fleet expansion is critical to fulfilling SAA’s commitment to improving seat capacity and accessibility for both leisure and business travellers in Africa.
“This is a remarkable achievement considering that just over three years ago, the airline emerged from business rescue with just six aircraft,” Lamola noted. “Since 2021, the team at SAA has worked strategically and consistently to grow the fleet and route network sustainably. These additional aircraft will enable SAA to continue fulfilling our promise to add seat capacity in both the domestic and regional market and thereby contribute to the affordability of passenger air travel.”
BAILOUTS
The current phase of fleet growth is a quite the contrast to SAA’s financial struggles that it encountered in late 2019, when the airline entered business rescue after years of mismanagement.
The state-owned carrier had been extremely reliant on government bailouts and reportedly received an estimated R48 billion in funding since 2018. During business rescue, the airline suspended most operations, underwent significant restructuring, and saw a massive cut to its workforce.
In September 2021, SAA graced SA’s skies again but on a reduced scale. The airline managed to return to financial stability, reporting its first annual profit in over a decade for the financial year ending March 2023, with a net profit of R252 million. Revenue surged by 183% to R5.7 billion.
DO YOU THINK SAA WILL FINALLY KEEP FINANCIALLY AFLOAT OR WILL THEY LAND THEMSELVES IN FINANCIAL WOES AGAIN?
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