To help clear the backlog of passengers stranded in London Heathrow, South African Airways (SAA) flew extra flights however one flight left cape Town with just 30 passengers on board. SAA said it had done everything it could to inform passengers of the extra flights.
SAA spokesperson Fani Zulu said the airline took a decision on Tuesday evening to schedule the two flights "after UK authorities gave permission to land the special flights" at London's Heathrow Airport. The airline posted a notice about the flights on its website on Tuesday night and the spokesperson was on local radio to spread the news extra flights were departing. Nevertheless one of the flights left almost empty.
"It is quite unfortunate that we had to depart with empty aircraft as it would help reduce backlog," said Zulu.
No more extra flights have been scheduled.