Struggling SAA in talks to buy new Airbus aircraft for its new long haul route

South African Airways (SAA) has announced plans to buy new aircraft from Airbus and that is according to interim chairman John Lamola.

Lamola who also serves as the Chief Executive Officer of SAA said they will be announcing a new route in December as they look to revive the airline. 

The state-owned SAA has experienced longstanding financial woes that were exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic, forcing it to halt all operations in September 2020 when it ran out of funds. 

In addition, cash-strapped national carrier exited administration in April last year thanks to another massive government bailout.

The airline, SAA, returned to the skies for the first time in September last year, launching domestic flights and a slimmed-down international service to five African capitals: Accra, Kinshasa, Harare, Lusaka, and Maputo.

Interim chairman, Lamola, announced that the new aircraft will be used to fly one of its long-haul international routes, by the end of this year.

“We will be announcing in December one of the first international routes that we will be flying and we will be acquiring a special aircraft for that,” Lamola told Reuters.

“No, not at all,” he said when asked if the investment will require a cash injection from shareholders.

Bizommunity reports that SAA will look to acquire the new aircraft by the start of the next financial year in April, as Lamola said.

Speaking to the media on the sidelines of the Airlines Association of Southern Africa’s annual general assembly, Lamola said the financially struggling airline was yet to decide which long-haul aircraft to buy. 

“We don’t know which one (aircraft) because our teams are working on it,” he said.

Meanwhile, BusinessTech Africa recently reported that the embattled national carrier, South African Airways (SAA), said its current business plan was to ramp up operations aggressively.

Despite all the documented struggles facing the airline, SAA announced it planned to implement a fleet strategy that would continue to gain momentum in growing its regional-continental services and introduce international-long haul services.

Local media reported reveal that SAA management said it was implementing the expansion of the airline to match market dynamics on both the domestic and international scene.

Main Image: SAA Plane/TechCentral