Tag Archives: SAA
South African Airways Technical reaches an agreement with its customers and reinstates Aircraft Maintenance Services
Johannesburg, 04 October 2020. South African Airways Technical (SAAT) has reached an agreement with its customers and has begun to reinstate aircraft maintenance services to some of its customers. This development follows a decision taken by SAAT to suspend maintenance services to four of its airline customers in September 2020 due to outstanding payments on services already rendered.
“We are pleased to have reached an agreement with at least two of our customers and will continue to have discussions with two others as we seek to find a resolution and settlement on these matters,” said SAAT CEO, Adam Voss.
SAAT is one of the leading Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) entities in Africa and offers an array of services (that include base and line maintenance) to its customers to ensure that they operate in a safe and legally compliant manner. In addition, preservation maintenance is offered for the protection of the aircraft that is not operating.
“The decision we took to suspend services to our customers was not taken lightly. We had to protect our commercial interests which extend to the wellbeing of our employees who were adversely impacted by the cashflow challenges we experienced, resulting in payment of 25% of their salaries for the month of September,” explained Voss.
SAAT apologized to all its employees for the inconvenience and is in discussions with its labour unions to arrange for the payment of balance of salaries for the month of September.
South African Airways (SAA) is one of the airlines that was impacted by the suspension of the aircraft maintenance service. The airline has made a payment to SAAT and the suspension of services was lifted on Wednesday. SAA charter flights planned to operate this week were consequently not impacted by last week’s suspension.
Another customer, Mango Airlines, has reached an agreement with SAAT making it possible to lift the suspension on Mango Airlines to commence work on their fleet as of Friday. The aircraft affected returned to service on Saturday, 3 October, to transport passengers.
“We all appreciate that the aviation landscape has changed drastically due to the impact of Covid-19 outbreak globally. We know that many of our customers were not able to trade and generate much needed revenue to pay for services rendered. As part of recovery strategy and a way forward, we agreed with these customers that SAAT will receive upfront payment for services that must be rendered,” Voss concluded.
Discussions are ongoing with all affected customers to find solutions on how to address the legacy issues that resulted in the suspension of the maintenance services.
As an MRO, SAAT is satisfied with progress made and is committed to working with all its customers and partners as the industry seeks to rebuild itself and to adapt to the new norms brought about by the coronavirus.
More aircraft to leave SAA!
Sawubona! For many years South African Airways have been our national carrier connecting South Africans to the world and the world to South Africa. South African Airways is as much a part of our lives as is rugby, soccer or just being social. South African Airways has represented South Africa and her people on many occasions from flypasts at big sporting events and presidential inaugurations to flying our Olympic Teams all over the world. SAA helped unite South Africa in many ways… who will forget the 1995 Rugby World Cup, the kick, Mr Mandela and the SAA B747 flypast?
For some time now, South African Airways have been struggling to get the books to balance and various attempts to better the situation have been attempted but for now another chapter has started. It is with a heavy heart that we have to report that SAA are to send back 20 leased aircraft to their lessors. The aircraft, their departing dates and destinations are:
Airbus A320 – 200’s
ZS-SZB : 14 July 2020 – Slovenia
ZS-SZC : 14 July 2020 – Slovenia
ZS-SZD : 14 July 2020 – Slovenia
ZS-SZF : 14 July 2020 – France
ZS-SZG : 14 July 2020 – Estonia
ZS-SZH : 14 July 2020 – France
Airbus A330-300’s
ZS-SXI : 15 July 2020 – France
ZS-SXK : 15 July 2020 – France
ZS-SXJ : 15 July 2020 – France
ZS-SXL : 15 July 2020 – Netherlands
ZS-SXM : 15 July 2020 – TBA
Airbus A330-200’s
ZS-SXU : 10 July 2020 – Spain
Airbus A350-900’s
ZS-SDC : 10 July 2020 – Spain
ZS-SDD : 10 July 2020 – Spain
No matter what the future hold for South African Airways, the flying Springbok, the people who work there and the beauties that grace our skies will forever be etched in our hearts and be a symbol of pride, our national colours and the warm hospitality of a nation.
South African Airways Looks Forward To Resuming Domestic Service
JOHANNESBURG. 26 May 2020. South African Airways (SAA) is currently retaining its domestic schedule, as published between Johannesburg and Cape Town, with effect from mid-June 2020. Accordingly, SAA is focusing on ensuring operational readiness to resume flights once permissible.
This position will be reviewed on an ongoing basis.
At the same time, SAA is cancelling all planned scheduled flights on regional and international services until the end of June 2020 with immediate effect. This decision has been taken as a result of the continuing global impact of the Coronavirus pandemic. Many restrictive rules and regulations still apply to civil aviation across the world. On this basis, it is not yet possible to resume operations beyond South Africa’s borders in a sustainable manner.
“Everyone at SAA is looking forward to welcoming and serving our customers once again. Our operational preparedness is underlined by the significant role the airline has played in global repatriations to and from South Africa and by our desire to serve the domestic market,” stated Philip Saunders, SAA’s Chief Commercial Officer.
For those customers holding unused SAA tickets for these flights, there is no need to contact the airline at this time. All customers will be able to use their ticket’s full value as a credit for travel on any SAA service up to an including 24th March 2022. SAA will also permit a free name change if any individual customer no longer wishes to travel. This represents an important part of SAA’s continued commitment to support our customers in these unprecedented times.
SAA is committed to restart further operations on an incremental basis, and will regularly provide updates on progress.
SAA Cargo Ramped Up capacity using passenger aircraft for cargo only to transport Essential Cargo during COVID-19 Lockdown
For the first time in its history, the Cargo division of South African Airways, SAA Cargo, operated a passenger aircraft for a pure cargo uplift.
On 06 April 2020 and in response to the increased demand for cargo flights to distribute critical and essential goods during the lockdown, SAA Cargo operated an Airbus A340-600 as a cargo only flight, transporting essential goods between Johannesburg and Frankfurt.
The outbound cargo included perishables such as fish, fresh fruits and vegetables, laboratory supplies as well as automotive and aircraft parts for repairs. On the inbound leg from Europe the aircraft landed last night in Johannesburg and the cargo included testing kits for COVID-19, immunological pharmaceuticals, insulin, surgical personal protective equipment (PPE), and processing equipment for food such as baby milk powder.
“SAA has demonstrated agility and we are working with our partners to provide them and our country with solutions that are relevant in these difficult times.
The decision to deploy an A346, is based on both its capacity and range and so bolsters our freighter services during this time when there is high demand for cargo shipments,” said SAA Cargo’s acting General Manager, Justice Luthuli.
The next pure cargo flight is scheduled to depart from Johannesburg to Guangzhou on Friday, 10 April 2020. It will operate on the same aircraft type for collection and delivery of medical supplies.
SAA Cargo has stepped up as a trade facilitator and a solution provider to sustain supply chains to and from various countries. The solution is provided on a charter basis at the request of our customers, who are producers and suppliers of essential cargo.
All flights are operated under strict operating procedures and in full compliance to COVID-19 civil aviation and health regulatory measures by both our staff and our customers.
“As a national carrier, we are pleased that we can contribute in response to our country’s needs to bring in much needed medical supplies and other essential goods to assist in the fight against COVID-19. We extend our gratitude to all our employees for their commitment and service during this time,” Luthuli concluded.
About SAA Cargo
SAA Cargo, the airfreight division of SAA provides terminal services and a global distribution network for purposes of cargo air transportation logistics.
The division is integral in providing various solutions for global rapid movement of essential goods such as agri-products, pharmaceuticals, valuable and vulnerable cargo, human remains, spare parts, pets, courier, diplomatic mail, dangerous goods and other related service.
The operating model for SAA Cargo division is based on a combination of the line flights, purchase of capacity from strategic partner airlines and freighter service for regional transhipment. This is supplemented by an extensive global interline and road feeder service.
SAA Board And Management Congratulate Crew For Wuhan Repatriation
The board and management of South African Airways (SAA) wishes to thank and congratulate the SAA crew who flew the chartered aircraft which repatriated citizens from Wuhan, where the coronavirus originated.
The crew and 112 South Africans were cleared to return to their families on Sunday after testing negative for the coronavirus in a second round of tests since their arrival from Wuhan, China.
Acting chairperson of the SAA board, Thandeka Mgoduso said that by agreeing to be in an SAA charter flight evacuating the nationals from Wuhan, the crew exemplified the spirit of Ubuntu and Thuma Mina, whose ethos is that the greatest responsibility for us all is humility, discipline, empathy, generosity and volunteerism.
“We thank The Almighty, the SAA crew, members of the South African National Defence Force and the medical team from the Department of Health, that none of the repatriated South Africans have tested positive for COVID-19 after they were quarantined for 14 days. We further thank the staff at The Ranch for courageously and caringly looking after the whole group that returned from Wuhan.
“Even though they may have had concerns and anxieties about the possibility of contracting the virus, it is clear that the call to national duty superseded all these anxieties. They adhered to the strict medical advice and protocols and took all the precautionary measures before, during and after the repatriation.
“Emerging from the quarantine period with no CODIV 19 infection, our crew can now play a vital role in conscientizing and advising their communities in South Africa, about the importance of observing the strict medical advice and the wisdom of adhering to the publicised protocols. They are now not only SAA ambassadors but also change agents for curbing the spread of the coronavirus.
“At SAA, we are grateful for and proud of their kindness, empathy and spirit of volunteerism and a strong sense of national responsibility. Their resilience and ability to rise to the challenge and withstand the rigours of the mission and the further quarantining after arriving in the country; are highly commendable.
“Their willingness to give their time and talent is greatly appreciated. This behaviour and commitment to doing what is right, has set a good example for everyone in the country, as we all struggle with the early stages of the pandemic.
“Their compassion and willingness to heed the call for national duty must be an inspiration for us all. It must encourage all of us to want to be part of the solution in combating the scourge of the coronavirus. We congratulate and applaud them,” said Mgoduso.
South African Airways scales down capacity due to travel disruptions and restrictions caused by Coronavirus
JOHANNESBURG. 18 March 2020. South African Airways (SAA) has scaled down capacity in response to the low demand for air travel. The effects of the outbreak of the Coronavirus (Covid-19) have led to travel disruptions and restrictions across the world, leading to the grounding of aircraft, releasing employees, and cancelling flights for many airlines. SAA is not immune to these realities.
In the light of the substantial fall in demand for air travel, SAA has reviewed its flight schedule and has decided to operate flights only under circumstances where its load factors and other business considerations weigh in favour of scheduling flights. However, certain flights that have been negatively impacted more than others, are consequently cancelled.
“Notwithstanding the decline in demand, SAA continues to aggressively review its schedule to match capacity with demand to the extent possible. Where feasible, we will consider options that include cancelling and merging flights,” said SAA Chief Commercial Officer, Philip Saunders.
For the period 17 until 31 March 2020, SAA has cancelled a total of 162 flights. Of these, 38 are international and 124 are regional (destinations on the African continent) flights.
At the same time, the airline is continuing to provide a service on the domestic, regional and international networks for those passengers whose travel is essential and cannot be avoided. For the time being, the airline will continue to operate to and from destinations unaffected by travel restrictions aimed at combatting the spread of the Coronavirus.
“Our priority is to assist those travellers wishing to repatriate to their home countries to do so as quickly and efficiently as possible. Naturally, this includes South African citizens abroad wishing to return home,” Saunders explained.
Subject to the conditions set out in the travel ban announced by government in South Africa, SAA will also facilitate the transfer of qualifying passengers to or from the destinations it flies to, which have been classified as high-risk areas.
Appreciating the impact of travel restrictions emanating from the outbreak of the Coronavirus, SAA has demonstrated its commitment towards looking after its customers by providing flexible rebooking options.
“We have updated our Customer Reservation Policy to help our passengers defer their travel plans where possible. To this end, we have offered our customers one free ticket change, in acknowledgement of travel restrictions that are not of our customers’ own making,” Saunders elaborated.
The Updated Reservation Policy now extends to the entire SAA route network.
Below is a summary of the amended travel policy, which is available on www.flysaa.com.
§ Must rebook / reissue ticket/s by 30 April 2020.
§ Complete travel by 28 February 2021.
§ Rebook same booking class with no additional collection and change fees waived.
§ Additional fare collection and taxes will apply to cases of seasonality change, but change fees will be waived.
§ If same booking class is not available, upgrade to lowest applicable booking class. Additional fare collection and taxes will apply but change fees will be waived.
§ One (1) free change and ticket reissue permitted only.
§ Tickets to be endorsed “COVID-19 SA FLT/DATE”.
§ Applicable to all fare types.
§ Change of cabin will not be permitted.
§ Change of routing will not be permitted.
§ This travel advisory waives the 72-hour rule.
§ This policyis applicable to South African Airways flights only and does not apply to Mango, SA Express and Airlink, issued on SA (083) ticket stock and not on separate tickets of other airlines. This policywill apply when Mango, SA Express and Airlink forms part of the itinerary issued on SA (083) ticket stock.
§ No refunds are permitted as part of this advisory.
§ Other refunds are permitted according to the applicable fare rules.
§ Previous No-show passengers are not eligible for this waiver.
§ SAA reserves the right to withdraw or revise the terms and conditions without prior notice.
SAA regrets any inconvenience to our customers as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and we encourage all customers to visit our website www.flysaa.com for further updates.
Customers are advised to contact either their travel agents, or for direct bookings, the South African Airways Call Centre on +27 (0)11 978-1111 or 0861 606 606 or 0800 214 774 (South Africa only) or +27 (0)11 978-2888.
“We thank customers for their continued support and placing their trust in South African Airways with their travel plans,” concluded Saunders.
SAA will provide regular and timely updates through media statements and through our travel trade partners.
-Ends-
For media enquiries, please contact:
SAA Spokesperson
Mr Tlali Tlali
Email: TlaliTlali@flysaa.com
Mobile: +27 (0)82 333-3880
Office: +27 (0)11 978-2298
Customers to contact:
South African Airways Call Centre on +27 (0)11 978-1111 or 0861 606 606 or 0800 214 774 (South Africa only) or +27 (0)11 978-2888.
General Enquiries:
Website: www.flysaa.com
Twitter (Primary): @flysaa – https://twitter.com/flysaa
Twitter (Customer Service): @flysaa_care – https://twitter.com/flysaa_care
Facebook: www.facebook.com/flysaa
SAA Adheres To World Health Organisation And IATA Protocols On COVID-19 Coronavirus
JOHANNESBURG, 12 March 2020 – South African Airways (SAA) assures customers that its operational health and safety procedures adhere to the World Health Organisation’s protocols to protect its customers and crew from contracting the COVID-19 (coronavirus) while flying with SAA.
SAA follows procedures, advice and guidelines from the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, World Health Organisation, International Air Transport Association (IATA), Civil Aviation Authorities as well as the airports and customs authorities’ directives to ensure the safety of its customers.
“The safety, health and wellbeing of our customers and crew is a number one priority. To ensure their wellbeing, we adhere to the following procedures:
· To clean the aircraft, SAA uses the disinfectants, which have been approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and are effective against the COVID-19 (coronavirus).
· The cleaning protocols our teams use to clean our aircraft have been intensified and focus among other things, on high frequent touch points such as handles, seatbelt buckles, tray tables and armrests.
· Hard surfaces such as lavatories, galley units and window shades are also thoroughly cleaned with multi-purpose cleaners.
· The Airbus fleet is equipped with state-of-the-art, High-Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters that sift out and remove dust, bacteria, allergens and other unhygienic particles.
· SAA crew have been trained to handle situations involving communicable diseases or any other medical emergencies on board and they work closely with ground and inflight expert medical assistance.
· All our aircraft are loaded with bio-hazardous spill kits in case of a contamination event (or to handle a contamination event) and cleaning materials.
“We assess all our passengers and advise that if they are feeling ill, they need to follow recommendations offered by medical professionals,” SAA said in a statement.
SAA said that although it is following customs limits and guidelines, passengers are welcome to travel with antibacterial wipes and hand sanitisers.
SAA crew use officially approved and industry recognised disinfectants on all flights. Cabin crew (Flight attendants) use gloves sanctioned by the food industry. The airline uses sanitation procedures for all domestic, regional and international flights. Should a passenger show any respiratory symptoms on board, i.e. coughing, sneezing, our crew will provide a surgical mask to the passenger to prevent transmission of micro-organisms.
Should health authorities inform the airline that a person who travelled with SAA exhibited coronavirus symptoms, the aircraft will be taken out of service and put through a decontamination process.
While SAA takes all the necessary steps to ensure that their customers enjoy a healthy flying experience, the airline advises customers to also take precautions to stay healthy while flying.
The Global recommended Precautionary tips include:
- Wash hands with soap often;
- Use an alcohol-based hand sanitiser after touching any surface;
- Avoid touching eyes, face and nose;
- Avoid contact with coughing passengers by whatever means possible and
- Stay home if sick.
We thank customers for the support by continuing to place their trust in South African Airways with their travel plans.
SAA Extends Sale Offering Of Up To 20% Discount Across The Route Network
Johannesburg, 3 March 2020 – South African Airways (SAA) has extended its sale, offering discounts of up to 20% to major destinations across its route network.
These offers are available for sale from today to 5 March only so customers are encouraged to respond quickly to take advantage! The sale has been extended due to the positive uptake last week, where SAA recorded high levels of sales activity across its markets.
“Due to the tremendous response we received last week for our special offers, the sale is back by popular demand and we are extending it during this week,” said Philip Saunders, SAA Chief Commercial Officer.
The extended sale will be accessible on all SAA’s major distribution channels, at www.flysaa.com and throughout a network of travel agents both in South Africa and in other African and international markets the airline continues to serve.
“We are pleased that our customers and travel trade partners are showing renewed trust in our brand. We aim to build further on this trust by offering our customers more exciting offers over the months ahead,” said Saunders.
SAA’s sales have also been bolstered by the reinstatement of the Travel Insurance Consultants insurance services across the travel trade, which provides protection for customers choosing to fly with SAA.
The extended sale includes destinations such as New York, London, Washington DC, Perth, Frankfurt, Blantyre, Dar es Salaam, Kinshasa, Harare, Lilongwe, Lagos, Lusaka, Livingstone, Maputo, Mauritius, Nairobi, Victoria Falls and Windhoek.
Prices are all-inclusive and for return flights and are available in economy class, as well as for travel in business class.
Travellers can choose to fly between Johannesburg and New York, London, and Frankfurt from as little as R8 999. These economy class return offers are fully inclusive, providing a discount of up to 20% with Business class tickets also discounted at up to 20%, with fares to New York from R49 927, London from R37 178 and Frankfurt from R32 902.
For further information, customers can book on www.flysaa.com or contact their nearest travel agent. T’s and C’s apply.
The airline’s revised route network will ensure customers keep reaching their destinations while enjoying SAA’s 4-star experience along the way.
SAA Joins Fight Against The Illegal Wildlife Trafficking
JOHANNESBURG. 3 MARCH 2020 – As the world commemorated World Wildlife Day on Tuesday, South African Airways said it would help intensify the fight against the global illegal wildlife trafficking.
As a new member of the USAID Reducing Opportunities for Unlawful Transport of Endangered Species (ROUTES), the national carrier said it would work hard to reduce the trafficking seizure of 42% of wildlife animals checked in luggage, 4% hidden in passenger clothing, 23% in air flight, 4% in mail and 27% recorded as unknown.
SAA employees are being trained in methods to detect wildlife smugglers and their activities and to report these to the relevant authorities.
USAID ROUTES said Africa is a significant source of smuggled live animals and wildlife products.
For example, in 2019 more than 103 wildlife animals were seized in three countries across the African continent. Most commonly, air traffic of wildlife animals in the African skies involves:
· Ivory moved from East Africa, through the Middle East, into Asia;
- Rhino horn moved from Southern Africa, through East Africa and the Middle East, into Asia;
- Pangolin scales moved from West Africa, through Europe, into Asia;
- Tortoises moved from Madagascar, through East Africa, into Asia;
- Abalone moved from Southern Africa straight to Asia and
- Nile crocodiles moved from the Horn of Africa into the Middle East.
Now SAA said it was committed to taking action to protect wildlife and their natural heritage.
SAA has joined the fight against illegal wildlife trade by adopting the Illegal Wildlife Trade Module of the IATA Environmental Assessment (IEnvA) Programme. IEnvA is an equivalent of the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA), but in terms of the environment rather than safety. SAA is audited, much like IOSA, and certified as IEnvA compliant. The airline was recently successfully audited through the Illegal Wildlife Trade module of the IATA Environmental Assessment (IEnvA) Programme to ensure that the correct systems and procedures are in place.
In its effort to fight against illegal wild-life trade, SAA recently conducted an awareness campaign among its employees to demonstrate how a trained dog can reinforce detection efforts to combat wildlife trafficking in the air transport industry.
SAA Offers Irresistible Fares To Major Destinations
Johannesburg, 27 February 2020 – South African Airways (SAA) is offering irresistible fares to major destinations.
“At South African Airways, the time for change has come. Change that sets a new flight path and prepares our business for take-off. We’re changing our route network to be smarter and more efficient whilst ensuring our best customer service. Most importantly though, is that we’re changing to keep you flying,” SAA said in its first advertising campaign since the business rescue process began in December 2019.
SAA is offering customers three days to take advantage of competitive fares to New York, London, Washington DC, Perth, Frankfurt, Blantyre, Dar es Salaam, Kinshasa, Harare, Lilongwe, Lagos, Lusaka, Livingstone, Maputo, Mauritius, Nairobi, Victoria Falls and Windhoek. The fare deals are available in Economy Class as well as for travel in Business Class.
From Wednesday, February 26, to Friday, February 28, travellers can book all-inclusive return flights to a number of regional and international destinations including New York and London from R8999, and Lagos and Lusaka from R4554. Customers can book on www.flysaa.com or contact their nearest travel agent. T’s and C’s apply.
The airline’s revised route network – which comprises of its most successful routes, will ensure customers keep reaching their destinations while enjoying SAA’s 4-star experience along the way.