Why the past few years have been turbulent for SOUTH AFRICAN AIRWAYS

South African Airways (SAA) faced turbulence due to the pandemic, going into business rescue halting operations and struggling to resume flights. Increased competition from low-cost carriers and other airlines resuming flights during the pandemic has also affected the carrier. SAA underwent internal changes, including business rescue, leadership transitions and plans for semi-privatisation to ensure its relaunch and stability.

- Athol Franz

Once one of the leading carriers in the world, SAA has undergone significant transformation over the past ten years. After the turn of the last decade, the airline began recording massive losses, reducing its fleet and suspending multiple routes. After being placed under 'business rescue' for nearly two years,

SAA V2 emerged in 2021 as a new entity. While it may be a while before it returns to its former glory, it has seen some stability in the past 12 months. With South African Airways (SAA) approaching its 90th birthday, let us take a look at a few reasons why the last couple of years have been so turbulent.

Halting operations during the pandemic

The dawn of the pandemic did not make things any easier for the already struggling national carrier. The months leading up to the pandemic were already turbulent for SAA as it entered business rescue in December 2019. Less than a month later, there were multiple reports of the airline ceasing operations, but it immediately reassured the public that it would continue flying. However, in March 2020, the airline halted all international, regional, and domestic services due to global lockdown restrictions.

While most of its aircraft were out of service, it operated a few repatriation flights and cargo services that year. It expected to resume domestic operations within a few months, but this was not successful. While other domestic carriers resumed scheduled flights, South African Airways remained on the ground. Finally, in September 2021, the airline returned to the skies with a service between Johannesburg and Cape Town.

Shortly after, it reinstated a few regional routes to Mauritius, Harare, Lusaka and Accra. However, it took the carrier more than three years to resume intercontinental flights.

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