South African Airways (SAA) has been given the green signal for a significant expansion of its fleet to pave the way to relaunch international routes and increase seat capacity for its regional and domestic destinations.
John Lamola, Interim CEO said: “The airline’s plan to lease six new aircraft has been approved by the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Public Enterprises. The aircraft will be delivered before the end of this calendar year, and the planes include a wide-body aircraft as well as five narrow-body aircraft - all of them Airbus equipment.”
“We are excited, as SAA, to lay the groundwork for the relaunch of our first international route since coming out of business rescue and since the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. We will announce the new route in the coming few weeks, and we will open commercial marketing and sales for it,” Lamola added.
The airline has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for a 36-month operating lease of four A320-200/A320-200Ns. The other two - an A330 and A320 have already been secured from the lessor community on the same terms as the ones issued in the RFP.
SAA is also looking to replace five A320-200s and one A330 whose operating leases expire starting February 2025 and 2026. "SAA will also consider proposals that include the replacement of these aircraft with A320 CEO or NEO aircraft (not older than 2013) as a package deal, in addition to the four aircraft acquisitions," the RFP reads.
“The four aircraft that we are ordering will all be deployed by September 2023. This is a significant boost for the domestic and regional markets and underscores our commitment to expanding our route network and increasing our frequency in the African market. It will also ensure that the equilibrium between the supply of seats and the flow of traffic will benefit our passengers,” Lamola added.