The South African Airline Company (SAA) will resume its flights on September 27, connecting, in a first phase, Johannesburg and six African cities, including the Mozambican capital, Maputo. The cities are Cape Town (South Africa), Accra (Ghana), Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of Congo), Harare (Zimbabwe) and Lusaka (Zambia). SAA halted its operations in December 2019 due to the collapse of the business, which came to a head due to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.
In a press release SAA said it survived the corporate rescue late last April, and since then has been focused on planning for its already restructured and adequate re-launch. SAA CEO Thomas Kgokolo says more destinations will be added to the route network as the company scales up operations in response to market conditions.
“After months of diligent work, we are delighted that SAA is resuming service and we look forward to welcoming our loyal passengers on board and flying under the South African flag,” says Kgokolo. “We will continue to be a safe operator and adhere to Covid-19 protocols,” he adds.
The CEO creases that there is a deep sense of excitement within the company’s team as it prepares for take-off, the purpose of which is to rebuild and sustain a profitable company. Kgokolo says the aviation sector is going through a testing period. “We are aware of the difficult challenges that will appear in the coming weeks,” he stresses, going on to say that he feels grateful for South Africa’s support.
