South African Airways (SAA) is all set to resume direct flights between South Africa and Malawi from March 16, 2023 after closing an agreement with the High Commission of Malawi in Pretoria.
During the meeting between Professor John Lamola, the airline's CEO and Stella Ndau, the High Commissioner of Malawi to South Africa, Professor Lamola expressed SAA's plans to resume flights on this route and the importance of its relationship with Malawi.
South African Airways served over 34 destinations from its hubs in Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Durban before entering the voluntary business rescue plan in 2019. The airline incurred significant losses for years which worsened with the COVID19 pandemic. In 2020, with travel at the lowest, SAA could not get more funding from the government and halted all its flight
Since Ethiopian and Kenya Airways already operate flights between South Africa and Malawi, the addition of state-owned airline would boost the economic development, trade, and tourism between the two nations.