Next month South African Airways will invite Airbus and Boeing to submit Requests for Proposals for SAA’s total fleet review, according to the airline’s commercial gm, Theunis Potgieter.
He says SAA is looking at replacing its A340-300s and A340-600 aircraft used on its international routes with New Generation B787s or the B787 Family range, or A350s or the A350 Family range, as these offer better fuel efficiency. He says SAA expects the proposals from the manufacturers by the end of the year, while completion of the fleet renewal depends on the availability of aircraft.
Theunis says SAA already experienced a 20% revenue increase this past year by using more fuel-efficient and route-appropriate aircraft in line with its long-term growth and business optimisation strategy. However, the rise in fuel prices resulted in a R1,3bn increase in its fuel bill last year, meaning fuel increased from 32% to 40% of its total costs last year.
See the June 20 issue of TNW for more details.
