After around 1,5 years on the ground, South African Airways took to the air again. After insolvency proceedings and partial privatization, the carrier is significantly smaller. There are only six aircraft left in the fleet.
On Thursday, SAA carried out the comeback flight on the Johannesburg-Cape Town route. Routes to Ghana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and the DR Congo will follow in the coming week. Initially, the carrier will concentrate on business within the African continent. The South African Airways website still shows the fleet that once consisted of 46 aircraft, but only six are still in operation.
The restart of what was once the second largest airline in Africa was also accompanied by a significant reduction in staff. Many employees lost their jobs during the bankruptcy process. The majority of the company was also sold to a consortium. The state is still on board with 49 percent.
South African Airways was only indirectly a victim of the corona pandemic. Since 2011, the company has accumulated horrific losses and has repeatedly been saved from bankruptcy with government aid. The crisis then literally left the carrier with the proverbial rest and tough rebuilding measures were taken during the bankruptcy proceedings.
It is still unclear whether the subsidiary Mango will ever take off again. This could stay in the air longer, but had to this year also file for bankruptcy. Although the management is aiming for a fresh start, there is a lack of the necessary change in particular.