SAA plans to add new routes
to its international network,
including Russia, through
existing and new partnerships
with other airlines.
According to a recent
Government Gazette, the
airline has applied for new
routes and more frequencies
on some of its existing
regional routes. These include
Moscow, Russia; Asuncion,
Paraguay; Lomé, Togo; Port of
Spain, Trinidad; Montevideo,
Uruguay; Ouagadougou,
Burkina Faso; Praia and Ilha
do Sol, Cape Verde; Ndjamena,
Chad; Malabo, Equatorial
Guinea; Jakarta, Indonesia;
Kingston, Jamaica; and Abuja,
Nigeria. The introduction dates
for all routes range from April
to July this year.
SAA spokesperson, Tlali
Tlali, told TNW: “SAA has
stated it would be suspending
some of its international
routes in an effort to increase
protability. This is still the
case. However, SAA still has
to have a presence on the
international stage, which will
be done by expanding and/or
entering into new codeshare
arrangements and not by a
direct service by SAA. At this
stage certain markets do not
warrant the introduction of
direct services by SAA and
therefore we have taken the
decision to serve these on a
codeshare-only basis.”
He says that, in terms of
the International Air Services
Act, for an SA carrier to
serve a specic destination,
in its own right or on a
codeshare basis, it has to
hold the underlying trafc
rights. “It is SAA’s intention to
expand certain of its existing
codeshare arrangements.
and/or enter into new ones.”
Due to ongoing discussions he
could not say who the future
codeshare partners would be.
SAA has also applied for
additional rights to some of
its current destinations. These
include seven return ights a
week to Accra; ve a week to
both Blantyre and Lilongwe;
and two return ights a week
to Lagos.
