South African Airways

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South African Airways

South African Airways (SAA) is South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa, also known by Official names of South Africa, is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa....
's flag carrier and largest domestic and international airline

Airline

File:Fedex-md11-N525FE-051109-21-16.jpgFile:Ryanair.b737-800.aftertakeoff.arp.jpgAn airline provides civil aviation for passengers or freight, generally with a recognized operating certificate or license....
company

Company

Generally, a company is a form of business organization. The precise definition varies.In the United States, a company is a corporation—or, less commonly, an association, partnership, or union—that carries on an industrial enterprise." Generally, a company may be a "corporation, partnership, association, joint-stock company, Inv...
, with hubs in Cape Town

Cape Town

Cape Town is the second most populous city in South Africa, forming part of the metropolitan municipality of the City of Cape Town. It is the provincial Capital of the Western Cape, as well as the legislature capital of South Africa, where the Parliament of South Africa and many government offices are located....
and Johannesburg

Johannesburg

Afrikaans

Union Airways

For Union Airways New Zealand see Union Airways of N.Z. LtdUnion Airways of South Africa was the first South Africa commercial airline....
was bought by South Africa's government, and renamed South African Airways on 1 February.

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Encyclopedia

South African Airways (SAA) is South Africa

South Africa

Airline

Company

Cape Town

Johannesburg

Afrikaans

History

Formation

In 1934, Union Airways

Union Airways

Cape Town

Durban

Durban is the third most populous city in South Africa, forming part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality . It is the largest city in KwaZulu-Natal and is famous as the busiest port in Africa....
and Johannesburg

Johannesburg

Johannesburg also known as Joburg, is the largest city in South Africa. Johannesburg is the province Capital of Gauteng the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa....
. The following year, also on 1 February, South African Airways took over South-West African Airways which had since 1932 been providing a weekly air-mail service between Windhoek

Windhoek

Windhoek is the Capital and largest city of the Republic of Namibia. It is located in the central Khomas Region, and had a population of 233,529 in the 2001 census but is now believed to be over 296,000 in 2008....
and Kimberley

Kimberley, Northern Cape

Kimberley is a city in South Africa, and the capital of the Northern Cape Province. It is located near the confluences of the Vaal River and Orange Rivers....
.

In the 1930s SAA entered the international market with flights to Kenya

Kenya

The Republic of Kenya is a country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia to the north, Somalia to the northeast, Tanzania to the south, Uganda to the west, and Sudan to the northwest, with the Indian Ocean running along the southeast border....
and Uganda

Uganda

The Republic of Uganda is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by Tanzania....
at British East Africa

British East Africa

British East Africa was an area of East Africa controlled by the United Kingdom in the late 19th century, which became a protectorate covering roughly the area of present-day Kenya....
. The main aircraft of SAA in the 1930s was the famous Junkers JU-52, affectionately known as Tante-Ju. Eleven of these flew for SAA. Other types used in the 1930s included eighteen Junkers JU-86's, which served from 1937 onwards, as well as four Airspeed "Envoy" light twin airliners.

The slow growth continued during the 1940s, though the airline was effectively closed for the duration of WWII. In 1944 SAA began operating the Lockheed Lodestar to restart domestic services and by 1948 SAA was operating nineteen examples. These were withdrawn in 1955.

On November 10 1945 SAA achieved a longtime company goal by operating a route to Europe

Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
when an Avro York

Avro York

The Avro York was a United Kingdom transport aircraft that was derived from the World War II Avro Lancaster bomber, and used in both military and airliner roles between 1943 and 1964....
landed in Bournemouth

Bournemouth

Bournemouth is a large town in the Bournemouth in Dorset, England. The town has a population of 163,444 according to the United Kingdom Census 2001, making it the largest settlement in Dorset....
, England

England

native_name =|conventional_long_name = England|common_name = England|image_flag = Flag of England.svg|image_coat = England COA.svg|symbol_type = Royal Coat of Arms...
, after the long flight from Palmietfontein near Johannesburg. These were replaced by the DC-4 "Skymaster"'s from 1946 onwards, which in turn was replaced by the Lockheed Constellation on international routes in 1950. Also of note in the post war era was the DC-3 Dakota, of which eight served with SAA, the last example being withdrawn as late as 1970.

The jet age

The 1950s saw the advent of the jet age with the addition of the Boeing 707

Boeing 707

The Boeing 707 is a four-engine commercial passenger jet airliner developed by Boeing Commercial Airplanes in the early 1950s. Its name is most commonly spoken as "Seven Oh Seven"....
to the airline's fleet. In 1953 SAA made aviation history when it became the first airline outside UK to operate the world's first pure jetliner, the De Havilland Comet

De Havilland Comet

The de Havilland Comet was the world's first commercial jet airliner to reach production. Developed and manufactured by de Havilland, it first flew in 1949 and was considered a landmark United Kingdom aeronautical design....
, on lease from BOAC

Boac

Boac can refer to:* Boac, Marinduque, a municipality in the Southern Philippines* British Overseas Airways Corporation the former United Kingdom state-owned airline...
. In November 1957 the "Wallaby" service to Perth

Perth, Western Australia

Perth is the List of Australian capital cities and largest city of the Australian States and territories of Australia of Western Australia. With a population of 1,554,769 , Perth ranks fourth amongst the nation's cities, with a growth rate consistently above the national average....
, Australia

Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
was added. SAA's first 707 landed in Europe in October 1960 with a nine-hour flight to Athens

Athens

Athens , the Capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery; as one of the List of cities by time of continuous habitation, its recorded history spans around 3,400 years....
. Two years later, SAA's jets would allow the airline to fly nonstop from South Africa into the UK and SAA's other Europe

Europe

Johannesburg

New York

The State of New York is a U.S. state in the Mid-Atlantic States and Northeastern United States regions of the United States and is the nation's List of U.S....
route, via Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro , is the second largest city of Brazil and South America, behind S?o Paulo, and the third largest metropolitan area in South America, behind S?o Paulo and Buenos Aires....
, opened on February of 1969. Later in 1971, SAA added the Boeing 747-200 'Jumbo Jet' to its fleet, followed in 1976 by the long range 747-SP and the Airbus A300

Airbus A300

The Airbus A300 is a short- to medium-range Wide-body aircraft aircraft. Launched in 1972 as the world's first twin-engined widebody, it was the first product of the Airbus consortium of European aerospace companies, wholly owned today by EADS....
, and in 1983 by the 747-300 EUD.

The next few years would be marked by steady but slower growth. Many countries refused to trade economically with South Africa, and this affected the airline. While many airlines were growing fast on the international market, SAA's growth rate was far behind most. Many African countries, except South Africa's neighbours, refused to let SAA use their airspace, but by then SAA had acquired a fleet of six 'Special Performance' Boeing 747 SPs, reducing the need for stopovers.

A major development for the airline during the 1970s was the opening of a route to Asia

Asia

Boeing 747

The Boeing 747 is a wide-body aircraft commercial airliner, often referred to by the nickname "Jumbo Jet". It is among the world's most recognizable aircraft, and was the first widebody ever produced....
flights to Hong Kong being launched. In 1980, when SAA began flights to Taipei, South Africa became one of the few countries in the world at that time to recognize the government of Republic of China

Republic of China

The Republic of China , also known as Nationalist China is a country in East Asia that has evolved from a single-party state with full global recognition into a multi-party democratic state with Political status of Taiwan....
in Taiwan

Taiwan

Taiwan is an island in East Asia. "Taiwan" is also commonly used to refer to the country governed by the Republic of China and to the ROC itself, which governs the island of Taiwan, Orchid Island and Green Island, Taiwan in the Pacific Ocean off the Taiwan coast, the Penghu islands in the Taiwan Strait, and Kinmen and the Matsu Islands...
.

Fiftieth anniversary

SAA celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1984. In this year the South African government made a controversial decision when it signed a treaty with Somalia

Somalia

Somalia , officially the Republic of Somalia and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic, is a country located in the Horn of Africa....
to give extensive military aid to the repressive regime of Siad Barre

Siad Barre

Mohamed Siad Barre was the President of Somalia from 1969 to 1991. Prior to his presidency, he was very educated army commander under then corrupted democratic government of Somalia , which had been in place since independence in June 1960....
in exchange for an exclusive contract to service Somali air travel. This turned out to be economically nonviable since few Somalis could afford airline tickets, and due to the incessant civil disorder in the country, few people wanted to go to Somalia.

SAA's services to South America

South America

South America is the southern continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere....
were cut back in 1985 because of lack of demand, with services to Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires is the Capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southern shore of the R?o de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent....
stopped, but those to Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro

Effect of apartheid

Due to international condemnation of the apartheid regime during the 1980s, SAA itself faced hostility, with its offices being attacked. SAA's London

London

London is the capital of both England and the United Kingdom, and the most populous municipality in the European Union. An important settlement for two millennia, History of London goes back to its founding by the Roman Empire....
office was daubed with red paint, while in Harare

Harare

Harare is the Capital of Zimbabwe. It has an estimated population of 1,600,000, with 2,800,000 in its metropolitan area . Administratively, Harare is an independent city equivalent to a province....
, Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe , is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the continent of Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo River rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east....
, its offices were badly damaged after protesters went on the rampage.

The U.S. Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act

Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act

The Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act sponsored by United States House of Representatives Ron Dellums in 1972 was the first United States of America South Africa under apartheid legislation....
of 1986 banned all flights by South African-owned carriers including SAA. In 1987, SAA's services to Perth

Perth, Western Australia

Sydney

Sydney is the List of cities in Australia by population in Australia, with a metropolitan area population of approximately 4.34 million . It is the List of Australian capital cities of New South Wales, and was the site of the first British Empire colony in Australia....
in Australia

Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
were ended, in light of Australia's opposition to apartheid. On November 28 of that year, disaster struck the airline, when a 747, the Helderberg (South African Airways flight 295

South African Airways Flight 295

South African Airways Flight 295 was a commercial flight that suffered a catastrophic fire and crashed into the Indian Ocean near Mauritius on 28 November 1987, killing everyone on board....
) flying from Taipei

Taipei

Taipei has been the de facto capital of the Republic of China, commonly known as Taiwan, since the Chinese Civil War in 1949, and the capital of Taiwan since Japanese rule that began in 1895....
to Johannesburg

Johannesburg

Indian Ocean

The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering about 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by Asia ; on the west by Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and Australia; and on the south by the Southern Ocean ....
, near Mauritius

Mauritius

Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius, , is an island nation off the coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about 900 kilometres east of Madagascar....
, killing all passengers and crew.

During that year, the South African Airways Museum opened its doors to the public at Jan Smuts International Airport (which was renamed the OR Tambo International Airport in 2006.)

End of the 'pariah airline'

With the demise of apartheid, beginning in 1990, SAA was able to shake off its pariah

Pariah

Pariah may refer to:*A member of the Paraiyar in Hindu society*the Dalit of Indian society in general*by extension, anything or anyone considered an "outcaste", see social stigma...
image, restoring services to old destinations, introducing services to new ones and expanding into the rest of Africa

Africa

Africa is the world's second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km? including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area....
, and into Asia

Asia

Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent. It covers 8.6% of the Earth's total surface area and, with over 4 billion people, it contains more than 60% of the world's current human population....
. June 1 of 1990 was also an important day for SAA, as South African companies signed a domestic air travel deregulation act. Later that year, SAA was chosen as the Best Airline to Africa by London

London

Airbus A320

The Airbus A320 family of short- to medium-range commercial passenger airliners are manufactured by Airbus, the only narrowbody family manufactured by them....
jet, and its first Boeing 747-400 jet, named Durban. The airline resumed flights to New York City's

New York City

The City of New York is the List of United States cities by population in the United States, while the New York metropolitan area ranks among the List of urban areas by population....
JFK International Airport for the first time since the United States

United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
imposed economic sanctions on South Africa in 1986, and South African's planes were able to fly for the first time over Egypt

Egypt

Egypt is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Western Asia. Covering an area of about , Egypt borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Gaza Strip and Israel to the northeast, the Red Sea to the east, Sudan to the south and Libya to the west....
and Sudan

Sudan

Sudan is a country in northeastern Africa. It is the largest in the African continent and the Arab World, and List of countries and outlying territories by total area by area....
.

1992 saw South African enter the Miami

Miami, Florida

Miami is a global city in southeastern Florida, in the United States. Miami is the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, the most populous county in Florida....
market (from Cape Town) by flying into Miami International Airport

Miami International Airport

Miami International Airport is a public airport located eight miles northwest of the central business district of Miami, Florida, in unincorporated area Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States....
, and re-enter Australia

Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
. This year also saw code sharing agreements with American Airlines

American Airlines

American Airlines, Inc. is a major carrier of the United States. It is the world's largest airlines in passenger miles transported and passenger fleet size; second largest, behind FedEx Express, in aircraft operated; and second behind Air France-KLM in operating revenues....
and Air Tanzania

Air Tanzania

Air Tanzania was the national airline of Tanzania, based in Dar es Salaam. Its main base was Julius Nyerere International Airport, Dar es Salaam.....
. That year also saw direct flights to Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India and north of Australia....
including Bangkok and Singapore

Singapore Changi Airport

Singapore Changi Airport or simply Changi Airport, is a major aviation hub in Asia, particularly in the Southeast Asian region, and is the main airport in Singapore....
.

In 1993 the airline began services to Manchester and Hamburg

Hamburg

Hamburg is the second-largest city in Germany , and is the Largest cities of the European Union by population within city limits. The city is home to approximately 1.8 million people, while the Hamburg metropolitan area has more than 4.3 million inhabitants....
, and a code sharing agreement was reached with Brazil

Brazil

Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is a country in South America. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, occupying nearly half of South America, the List of countries by population country, and the fourth most populous democracy in the world....
's Varig

Varig

VRG Linhas A?reas S.A., operating as VARIG , is the Brazilian flag carrier airline owned by Gol Linhas A?reas Inteligentes based in S?o Paulo, Brazil....
.

In 1994, a feeder service (SA Express) began flying domestically. This year saw the birth of the airline Alliance, which was a partnership between SAA, Uganda Airlines

Uganda Airlines

Uganda Airlines is a defunct Ugandan flag carrier. Uganda Airlines Corporation went out of business in May 2001.On October 1988, the company's Boeing 707 crashed near Rome, killing 31 of the 52 people aboard....
and Air Tanzania

Air Tanzania

Air Tanzania was the national airline of Tanzania, based in Dar es Salaam. Its main base was Julius Nyerere International Airport, Dar es Salaam.....
. Also South African greeted its passengers in four different languages during domestic flights: English

English language

English is a West Germanic language that originated in Anglo-Saxon England and has lingua franca status in many parts of the world as a result of the military, economic, scientific, political and cultural influence of the British Empire in the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries and that of the United States from the mid 20th century onwa...
, Zulu

Zulu language

Zulu , is a language of the Zulu people with about 10 million speakers, the vast majority of whom live in South Africa. Zulu is the most widely spoken home language in South Africa as well as being understood by over 50% of the population ....
, Afrikaans and Sotho, while passengers on international flights were also greeted in the destination's local language. Nevertheless, this "Alliance" withered against intense competition from Kenya Airways (& affiliated Precision Air). The Tanzanian government is subsidising Air Tanzania while it disentagles the relationship with SAA.

In 1995, Lufthansa

Lufthansa

Deutsche Lufthansa Aktiengesellschaft is one of the List of largest airlines in Europe airlines in Europe in terms of overall passengers carried, and the flag carrier of Germany....
started a code sharing agreement with SAA, and SAA commissioned Herdbuoys Diefenbach Elkins to lead South African's change of image. This year, South African's Voyager and American Airlines

American Airlines

Singapore

Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country microstate located at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula. It lies 137 kilometres north of the equator, south of the Malaysian state of Johor and north of Indonesia's Riau Islands....
discontinued, with Bangkok

Bangkok

The city of Bangkok is the Capital , largest urban area and primary city of Thailand. Known in Thai language as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or Krung Thep for short, it was a small trading post at the mouth of the Chao Phraya River during the Ayutthaya Kingdom and came to the forefront of Thailand when it was given the status as the...
becoming an Asia

Asia

Olympic Games

The Olympic Games are an international multi-sport event established for both summer and winter sports. There have been two generations of the Olympic Games; the first were the Ancient Olympic Games held at Olympia, Greece, Greece....
athletes were carried to Atlanta

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport , known locally as Atlanta Airport, Hartsfield Airport, and Hartsfield-Jackson, is located seven miles south of the central business district of Atlanta, Georgia, Georgia , United States....
aboard 747 Ndizani. SAA won Executive Travel's best airline to Africa award for the third time.

Rebranding

In 1997, SAA introduced its new image and livery, dropping the springbok

Springbok Antelope

The Springbok is a medium sized brown and white gazelle that stands about 75 cm high. Springbuck males weigh between 33-48 kg and the females between to 30-44 kg....
emblem, and the old national colours of orange, white and blue. The new livery was based upon the new national flag, with a sun. The airline's name on its aircraft was changed to simply 'South African', with the Afrikaans

Afrikaans

Afrikaans is an Indo-European language, derived from Dutch language and thus classified as Low Franconian languages West Germanic languages. It is mainly spoken in South Africa and Namibia, with smaller numbers of speakers living in Botswana, Angola, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Zambia, Australia, New Zealand, United States of America, Taiwa...
name Suid-Afrikaanse Lugdiens being dropped. The airline started online ticket sales and formed an alliance with SA Airlink and SA Express.

As a symbol of the new rainbow nation, one of SAA's 747-300's, named Ndizani was painted in bright colours and could frequently be seen at various international airports. Now that Ndizani has been withdrawn from service, there have been calls to paint another SAA aircraft in these striking colours.

In 1998 services to Buenos Aires and São Paulo's Guarulhos Airport

Guarulhos International Airport

S?o Paulo/Guarulhos ? Governor Andr? Franco Montoro International Airport , also known as Cumbica International Airport, is a major Brazilian airport, the country's busiest by passenger traffic, located in the neighborhood of Cumbica, in the city of Guarulhos in metropolitan São Paulo ....
restored, services to Copenhagen Airport

Copenhagen Airport

Copenhagen Airport is the major airport serving Copenhagen, Denmark and the other cities within the Oresund Region. It is located on the island Amager, 8 kilometers south of Copenhagen city center, and 24 kilometers west of Malm? city center at the other side of the Oresund Bridge....
stopped, and a new airline President in the figure of Coleman Andrews. The arrival of the very well paid (in South African terms) Mr Andrews saw a very comprehensive and somewhat controversial overhaul of the airline by the American CEO, shaking up the way the airline was run. Mr Andrews was brought in by Transnet, the state-owned parent company, to remedy the problems of deserting customers, which Transnet's own market research had revealed was caused by 'failure to fly on time, unfriendly and minimally trained staff, poor food and SAA fares being 12- 25% above its competitors'. This era at SAA is covered in the book JETLAG, SA Airways in the Andrews Era, by South African journalist Denis Beckett.

In 1999 South African and Delta Air Lines

Delta Air Lines

Delta Air Lines, incorporation is a United States airline based and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia . Delta operates an expansive domestic and international network, spanning North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East and the Caribbean....
started code sharing on flights from Atlanta to South Africa. Those flights took place on South African Airways planes.

2000 saw South African arrive at Ft. Lauderdale

Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Fort Lauderdale, known as the "Venice of America" due to its expansive and intricate canal system, is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States....
's Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport

Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport

Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport is an international commercial airport located in Dania Beach, Florida, three miles southwest of the central business district of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, a city in Broward County, Florida, Florida, United States....
and order 21 more Boeing 737

Boeing 737

The Boeing 737 is a short to medium range, single aisle, narrow-body aircraft jet airliner. Originally developed as a shorter, lower cost twin engine airliner derived from Boeing's Boeing 707 and Boeing 727, the 737 has nine variants, from the early -100 to the most recent and largest, the -900....
s for its domestic routes.

In 2001, South African won the Best Cargo Airline to Africa award from Air Cargo News - (even though South African is mostly a passenger airline) - and South African Airways signed a code sharing agreement with Nigeria Airways

Nigeria Airways

Nigeria Airways was the former national airline of Nigeria, founded in 1958 and headquartered in Lagos. The airline was owned by the Federal Government of Nigeria....
, to provide service from the United States

United States

Lagos

Lagos is the most populous conurbation in Nigeria with 7,937,932 inhabitants at the 2006 census. It is currently the second most Largest cities in africa, and currently estimated to be the second fastest growing city in Africa , immediately following Bamako....
, using South African 747s. (This code share agreement is no longer in effect, and SAA's flights to/from the United States no longer stop in Nigeria.) The airline earned a spot on the Zagat Survey

Zagat Survey

Zagat Survey was established by Tim Zagat and Nina Zagat in 1979 as a way to collect and correlate the ratings of restaurants by diners. For their first guide, covering New York, New York, the Zagats surveyed their friends....
's top ten international airlines list, opened a new website and named Andre Viljoen as Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

In March 2002, under CEO Andre Viljoen, South African Airways asked Airbus Industrie to overhaul its fleet at a cost of $3.5 billion. SAA took advantage of a slump in the order books of the aircraft manufacturers (Boeing and Airbus). The entire airline industry was still staggering, after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 in the USA, which lead to new airplane orders either, being deferred or cancelled altogether. SAA was in a buyers market and with the demise of Swissair, which had A340-600’s about to be delivered, made a huge impact on Airbus clinching the SAA deal. Some people may argue that the SAA fleet renewal, with the replacement of some Boeing products with Airbus products, might have been partly a political decision, with Boeing selling planes to South African Airways during the Apartheid-era. However, there is no concrete evidence to substantiate this claim.

In 2002 SAA ordered nine A340-600 widebodies, six A340-300s, 11 A319s and 15 A320 aircraft. Three of the A340-600

Airbus A340

The Airbus A340 is a long-range four-engined wide-body commercial passenger airliner manufactured by Airbus, a subsidiary of EADS. It seats between 261 and 380 passengers, and has a range between 6,700 and 9,000 nautical miles....
aircraft came from International Lease Finance Corp. The new Airbus

Airbus

Airbus Soci?t? par actions simplifi?e is an Aerospace manufacturer subsidiary of EADS, a European aerospace company. Based in Toulouse, France, and with significant activity across Europe, the company produces around half of the world's jet airliners....
A319s replaced the ageing Boeing

Boeing

The Boeing Company is a major aerospace and defense corporation, originally founded by William Edward Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997....
737-200 fleet, but the Boeing 737-800's

Boeing 737

The Boeing 737 is a short to medium range, single aisle, narrow-body aircraft jet airliner. Originally developed as a shorter, lower cost twin engine airliner derived from Boeing's Boeing 707 and Boeing 727, the 737 has nine variants, from the early -100 to the most recent and largest, the -900....
continue in service, because SAA cancelled the A320 order before any aircraft were delivered.

In late 2002, South African Airways made a successful bid for a 49 per cent stake in Air Tanzania

Air Tanzania

Air Tanzania was the national airline of Tanzania, based in Dar es Salaam. Its main base was Julius Nyerere International Airport, Dar es Salaam.....
. This was SAA's first acquisition of a foreign airline. The merger failed in 2006 when new SAA management felt that the arrangement was an unprofitable mistake made by previous SAA managers.

In March 2004 South African Airways announced its application to join Star Alliance

Star Alliance

Star Alliance is the world's first and largest airline alliance. Founded in 1997, its name and emblem represent the five founding airlines, Air Canada, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines System, Thai Airways International, and United Airlines....
. The alliance accepted the application in June, with SAA joining as a full member in April 2006.

In July 2004, Andre Viljoen resigned as CEO of SAA, the media speculated he resigned due to the heavy losses SAA suffered in a R6-billion hedging loss.

In August 2004, Khaya Ngqula was appointed as CEO of SAA. A new chairman, Professor Jakes Gerwel, was appointed in the same month.

In 2005, it became the first non-Saudi airline to fly a direct Hadj service to Medina

Medina

Medina is a city in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia, and serves as the capital of the Al Madinah Province. It is the second holiest city in Islam, and the burial place of the Prophet Muhammad....
in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, KSA , is an Arab country and the largest country of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Jordan on the northwest, Iraq on the north and northeast, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates on the east, Oman on the southeast, and Yemen on the south....
.

In July 2005, SAA started 4 times weekly Johannesburg

Johannesburg

Accra

Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C. , formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D.C., is the Capital of the United States, founded on July 16, 1790....
service with a Boeing 747-400. Service was increased to a daily service in July 2006, and the 747-400 was replaced by an Airbus A340-600. Also, because SAA could not obtain rights to fly passengers between Ghana and the US, the stop in Accra was replaced with a stop in Dakar

Dakar

Dakar is the capital city of Senegal, located on the Cap-Vert, on the country's Atlantic Ocean coast. It is Senegal's largest city. Its position, on the western edge of Africa , is an advantageous departure point for trans-Atlantic and European trade; this fact aided its growth into a major regional seaport....
. Accra

Accra

Accra is the capital city, and most populous city of Ghana, a nation on the coast of the western region of Africa. The city also doubles as the capital of the Greater Accra Region, and of the Accra Metropolis District with which it is coterminous....
will remain an SAA destination, however. In 2007, SAA retired the last of its 747-400 fleet from active SAA service.

On June 6th, 2006, South African Airways' codeshare alliance with the US Airline, Delta Air Lines

Delta Air Lines

Delta Air Lines, incorporation is a United States airline based and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia . Delta operates an expansive domestic and international network, spanning North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East and the Caribbean....
, was terminated. South African's participation in the Star Alliance

Star Alliance

SkyTeam

SkyTeam is the second largest airline alliance in the world ? behind Star Alliance ? partnering fourteen carriers from four continents, with two pending members....
Alliance.

In May 2007, SAA launched a deep and fundamental restructuring initiative which aimed to ensure that the airline became profitable on a sustainable basis. The restructuring had four main pillars, namely to simplify and rightsize the business as well as reskill and incentivise employees.

Alliance

On April 10, 2006, SAA formally joined Star Alliance

Star Alliance

United Airlines

United Air Lines, Inc., trading as United Airlines , is a major carrier of the United States. It is a subsidiary of UAL Corporation with corporate offices in Chicago at 77 West Wacker Drive, and its operations base in nearby Elk Grove Village, Illinois....
.

South African Airways is an airline partner of Skywards, the frequent flyer program for Emirates Airline

Emirates Airline

Emirates Airline is a subsidiary of The Emirates Group based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates . In 2008 the airline was the World's largest airlines#Scheduled international passengers carried airline in the world in terms of international passengers carried, and World's largest airlines#Scheduled international passenger-kilometres flown in th...
. Skywards members can earn miles for flying South African and can redeem miles for free flights. The airline also has a partnership with El Al Israel Airlines.

Destinations

SAA operates intercontinental routes to São Paulo

São Paulo

S?o Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, and along with Tokyo, Seoul and Mexico City is among the four largest metropolitan regions of the world....
, New York City

New York City

Washington, D.C.

London

Frankfurt

is the largest city in the German States of Germany of Hesse and the List of cities in Germany with more than 100,000 inhabitants in Germany, with a 2008 population of 670,000....
, Munich

Munich

Munich is the capital city of Bavaria, Germany. Munich is located on the River Isar north of the Northern Limestone Alps. Munich is the third largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Hamburg....
, Mumbai

Mumbai

Mumbai— formerly Bombay, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. The city proper has approximately 14 million people and, along with the neighbouring suburbs of Navi Mumbai and Thane, Mumbai forms the World's largest urban agglomerations according to the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects report with around 19...
, Hong Kong

Hong Kong

Hong Kong , officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is a territory located in Southern China in East Asia, bordering the province of Guangdong to the north and facing the South China Sea to the east, west and south....
and Perth

Perth, Western Australia

Buenos Aires

Johannesburg

Cape Town

London

Fleet

Passenger

The South African Airways fleet consists of the following aircraft as of November 2007:

**South African Airways Fleet**
Aircraft	Total	Passengers (Business/Economy)	Routes
Airbus A319	11	120 (25/95)	Short-medium haul Domestic and Regional
Airbus A340-200 Airbus A340 The Airbus A340 is a long-range four-engined wide-body commercial passenger airliner manufactured by Airbus, a subsidiary of EADS. It seats between 261 and 380 passengers, and has a range between 6,700 and 9,000 nautical miles....	6	250 (24/226)	Long haul Europe, India and South America
Airbus A340-300 Airbus A340 The Airbus A340 is a long-range four-engined wide-body commercial passenger airliner manufactured by Airbus, a subsidiary of EADS. It seats between 261 and 380 passengers, and has a range between 6,700 and 9,000 nautical miles....	6	253 (38/215)	Long haul Europe, North America and South America
Airbus A340-600 Airbus A340 The Airbus A340 is a long-range four-engined wide-body commercial passenger airliner manufactured by Airbus, a subsidiary of EADS. It seats between 261 and 380 passengers, and has a range between 6,700 and 9,000 nautical miles....	9	317 (42/275)	Ultra long haul Australia, North America and South East Asia, South America and Europe
Boeing 737-200 Boeing 737 The Boeing 737 is a short to medium range, single aisle, narrow-body aircraft jet airliner. Originally developed as a shorter, lower cost twin engine airliner derived from Boeing's Boeing 707 and Boeing 727, the 737 has nine variants, from the early -100 to the most recent and largest, the -900....	18	157 (32/125)	Short-medium haul Domestic and Regional
Boeing 737-800 Boeing 737 The Boeing 737 is a short to medium range, single aisle, narrow-body aircraft jet airliner. Originally developed as a shorter, lower cost twin engine airliner derived from Boeing's Boeing 707 and Boeing 727, the 737 has nine variants, from the early -100 to the most recent and largest, the -900....	17	157 (32/125)	Short-medium haul Domestic and Regional
Boeing 747-400 Boeing 747 The Boeing 747 is a wide-body aircraft commercial airliner, often referred to by the nickname "Jumbo Jet". It is among the world's most recognizable aircraft, and was the first widebody ever produced....	8	416(56/360)	Ultra long haul Australia, North America and South East Asia, South America and Europe
Boeing 747-300 Boeing 747 The Boeing 747 is a wide-body aircraft commercial airliner, often referred to by the nickname "Jumbo Jet". It is among the world's most recognizable aircraft, and was the first widebody ever produced....	6	412(60/352)	Ultra long haul Australia, North America and South East Asia, and Europe
Boeing 747-200 Boeing 747 The Boeing 747 is a wide-body aircraft commercial airliner, often referred to by the nickname "Jumbo Jet". It is among the world's most recognizable aircraft, and was the first widebody ever produced....	5	410(60/350)	Long haul Australia, North America and South East Asia, and Europe
Boeing 767-300 Boeing 767 The Boeing 767 is a mid-size, wide-body twinjet airliner produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Passenger versions of the 767 can carry between 181 and 375 passengers, and have a range of 5,200 to 6,590 nautical miles depending on variant and seating configuration....	2	218(67/151)	Long haul Europe, North America and South America

SAA used to name its aircraft (such as the Boeing 707

Boeing 707

Boeing 727

The Boeing 727 is a mid-size, Narrow-body aircraft, trijet, T-tailed Commercial airliner jet airliner. The 727's fuselage has an outer diameter of ....
, Boeing 737-200

Boeing 737

Boeing 747

The Boeing 747 is a wide-body aircraft commercial airliner, often referred to by the nickname "Jumbo Jet". It is among the world's most recognizable aircraft, and was the first widebody ever produced....
) after geographical features in South Africa, such as rivers, cities, towns and mountain ranges. However, SAA aircraft are no longer named.

In 2006, two 747-400s, delivered in 1990 and 1991 (ZS-SAV "Durban" and ZS-SAW "Bloemfontein"), were sold to Cathay Pacific Airways and converted to B747-400BCF or Boeing Converted Freighters. Cathay values these B747-444 as they have the same Rolls-Royce RB211

Rolls-Royce RB211

The Rolls-Royce RB211 is a family of high-bypass turbofan engines made by Rolls-Royce plc and capable of generating 37,400 to 60,600 pound-force thrust....
engines as Cathay's passenger fleet, making maintenance much faster and cheaper than if the freighter used General Electric

General Electric

The General Electric Company, or GE is a multinational corporation United States technology and Service s conglomerate incorporated in the State of New York....
or Pratt & Whitney

Pratt & Whitney

Pratt & Whitney is an American aircraft engine manufacturer of products widely used in both civil and military aircraft list. As one of the "big three" aero-engine manufacturers, it competes with GE Aircraft Engines and Rolls-Royce plc, although it has also formed joint ventures with both of these companies....
engines.

In June 2007, SAA confirmed earlier speculation that the airline's restructuring plan means there will be no new aircraft purchased for an unspecified time period. Additionally, the airline announced that SAA's four Boeing 747-400

Boeing 747-400

The Boeing 747-400 is a wide-body aircraft commercial airliner, and is the most recent version of the Boeing 747 aircraft in service. The -400 series is the best selling and the most advanced model, currently flying, of the 747 family....
s will be pulled from the fleet, meaning that the airline will operate any variant of the 747

Boeing 747

1970

**South African Airways fleet in 1970**
Aircraft	Total	Orders
Boeing 707-320 Boeing 707 The Boeing 707 is a four-engine commercial passenger jet airliner developed by Boeing Commercial Airplanes in the early 1950s. Its name is most commonly spoken as "Seven Oh Seven"....	5	0
Boeing 727 Boeing 727 The Boeing 727 is a mid-size, Narrow-body aircraft, trijet, T-tailed Commercial airliner jet airliner. The 727's fuselage has an outer diameter of ....	7	0
Boeing 737-200 Boeing 737 The Boeing 737 is a short to medium range, single aisle, narrow-body aircraft jet airliner. Originally developed as a shorter, lower cost twin engine airliner derived from Boeing's Boeing 707 and Boeing 727, the 737 has nine variants, from the early -100 to the most recent and largest, the -900....	3	0
Boeing 747 Boeing 747 The Boeing 747 is a wide-body aircraft commercial airliner, often referred to by the nickname "Jumbo Jet". It is among the world's most recognizable aircraft, and was the first widebody ever produced....	0	3
Douglas DC-3 Douglas DC-3 The Douglas DC-3 is an United States fixed-wing aircraft, propeller-driven aircraft whose speed and range revolutionized air transport in the 1930s and 1940s....	4	0
Vickers Viscount 800 Vickers Viscount The Viscount was a United Kingdom medium-range turboprop airliner first flown in 1948 by Vickers-Armstrongs, making it the first such aircraft to enter service in the world....	7	0
Total	26	3

Accidents and incidents

Accidents

Junkers Ju 52
Junkers Ju 52

The Junkers Ju 52 was a Cargo aircraft manufactured 1932 ? 1945 by Junkers. It saw both civilian and military service during the 1930s and 1940s....
, ZS-AKY, 16 June 1937. The aircraft crashed on take-off at Port Elizabeth Airport
Port Elizabeth Airport

Port Elizabeth Airport , formerly H. F. Verwoerd Airport, is an airport situated in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, Eastern Cape, South Africa. The airport is owned and operated by the Airports Company South Africa which also operates nine other airports around South Africa....
following engine failure in two engines and burnt out. All aboard escaped. This was the airline's first accident in which passengers were injured.

Lockheed L-18 Lodestar, ZS-AST 28 March 1941, Elands Bay
Elands Bay

Elands Bay is a town in South Africa, situated in the Western Cape Province, at . The town is located about two and a half hours drive north from Cape Town....
, South Africa
South Africa

The Republic of South Africa, also known by Official names of South Africa, is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa....
. All aboard were killed on impact and in the post crash fire.

Lockheed L-18 Lodestar, ZS-ASW, 5 th January 1948. The aircraft overran the runway at Palmietfontein after landing deep. The undercarriage
Undercarriage

In aviation, the undercarriage or landing gear is the structure that supports an aircraft on the ground and allows it to taxiing....
was ripped-off and the hull damaged beyond repair. There were light injuries to passengers but no fatalities.

Douglas DC-3
Douglas DC-3

The Douglas DC-3 is an United States fixed-wing aircraft, propeller-driven aircraft whose speed and range revolutionized air transport in the 1930s and 1940s....
, 15 October 1951, Vicinity East Griqualand, South Africa
South Africa

The Republic of South Africa, also known by Official names of South Africa, is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa....
.

de Havilland Comet
De Havilland Comet

The de Havilland Comet was the world's first commercial jet airliner to reach production. Developed and manufactured by de Havilland, it first flew in 1949 and was considered a landmark United Kingdom aeronautical design....
, SA201
South African Airways Flight 201

South African Airways Flight 201, a de Havilland Comet, took off at 18:32 Coordinated Universal Time from Ciampino Airport in Rome, Italy en route to Cairo, Egypt, on the second stage of its flight from London to Johannesburg, South Africa....
, 8 April 1954 Flight 201, departed Rome
Rome

Rome is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city, with 2,724,347 residents in an urban area of some ....
for Cairo
Cairo

Cairo , which means "the triumphant", is the Cairo and largest city of Egypt.It is the most populous metropolitan area in Egypt and is also one of the most populous in the world....
and Johannesburg
Johannesburg

Johannesburg also known as Joburg, is the largest city in South Africa. Johannesburg is the province Capital of Gauteng the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa....
, was a leased British Overseas Airways Corporation
British Overseas Airways Corporation

The British Overseas Airways Corporation was the United Kingdom state airline from 1939 until 1946 and the long-haul British state airline from 1946....
De Havilland Comet
De Havilland Comet

The de Havilland Comet was the world's first commercial jet airliner to reach production. Developed and manufactured by de Havilland, it first flew in 1949 and was considered a landmark United Kingdom aeronautical design....
. The aircraft crashed off the coast of Italy killing all 21 people onboard. Along with BOAC Flight 781
BOAC Flight 781

On 10 January 1954, BOAC Flight 781 a de Havilland Comet 1 , took off from Ciampino Airport in Rome, Italy en route to Heathrow Airport in London, England on the final leg of its flight from Singapore....
, it was one of two Comet crashes caused by a flaw in the design.

Douglas DC-3
Douglas DC-3

The Douglas DC-3 is an United States fixed-wing aircraft, propeller-driven aircraft whose speed and range revolutionized air transport in the 1930s and 1940s....
, ZS-DJC flight SA512 6 March 1962, Vicinity Seymour
Seymour

Seymour is the name of many people, places and companies around the world. The name of one knightly English family is believed to derive from the contraction of "Saint-Maur," in northern France, but the name has been used very widely and it is also said to represent the occupational name 'Seamer', a tailor....
, Eastern Cape
Eastern Cape

The Eastern Cape is a Provinces of South Africa of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho. It was formed in 1994 out of the "independent" homelands of Transkei and Ciskei, as well as the eastern portion of the Cape Province....
, South Africa
South Africa

The Republic of South Africa, also known by Official names of South Africa, is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa....
. The aircraft crashed into a mountainside after the pilot insisted on conducting flight as visual flight rules
Visual flight rules

Visual flight rules are a set of aviation regulations with which a aviator may operate an aircraft, in a specific airspace, with meteorological conditions better than Basic VFR Weather Minimums....
(VFR) while flying below low cloud above rising ground. The pilot and first officer were killed but passengers and cabin staff survived.

Vickers Viscount
Vickers Viscount

The Viscount was a United Kingdom medium-range turboprop airliner first flown in 1948 by Vickers-Armstrongs, making it the first such aircraft to enter service in the world....
818, SA406, 13 March 1967, Vicinity East London, Eastern Cape
Eastern Cape

The Eastern Cape is a Provinces of South Africa of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho. It was formed in 1994 out of the "independent" homelands of Transkei and Ciskei, as well as the eastern portion of the Cape Province....
, South Africa
South Africa

The Republic of South Africa, also known by Official names of South Africa, is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa....
. The Rietbok crashed into the sea offshore while on final approach during bad weather. No cause was found by investigators due to the inability to retrieve or photo map wreckage. All aboard were killed.

Boeing 707-344C
Boeing 707

The Boeing 707 is a four-engine commercial passenger jet airliner developed by Boeing Commercial Airplanes in the early 1950s. Its name is most commonly spoken as "Seven Oh Seven"....
, SA228, 20 April 1968, Near Windhoek
Windhoek

Windhoek is the Capital and largest city of the Republic of Namibia. It is located in the central Khomas Region, and had a population of 233,529 in the 2001 census but is now believed to be over 296,000 in 2008....
, South West Africa
South West Africa

South-West Africa was the name of what is today the Republic of Namibia....
(now Namibia
Namibia

Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in southern Africa on the Atlantic Ocean coast. It shares borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east, and South Africa to the south....
). The aircraft was 6 weeks old. The crew used a flap retraction sequence from the 707-B series which removed flaps in larger increments than desirable for that stage of the flight, leading to a loss of lift at 600 ft above ground level. The subsequent descent went undetected by the crew, leading to impact with the ground. Casualties totalled 119 dead.

Boeing 747-244B Combi
Boeing 747

The Boeing 747 is a wide-body aircraft commercial airliner, often referred to by the nickname "Jumbo Jet". It is among the world's most recognizable aircraft, and was the first widebody ever produced....
, SA295
South African Airways Flight 295

South African Airways Flight 295 was a commercial flight that suffered a catastrophic fire and crashed into the Indian Ocean near Mauritius on 28 November 1987, killing everyone on board....
, 28 November 1987 The Helderberg crashed over the Indian Ocean en-route from Taipei
Taipei

Taipei has been the de facto capital of the Republic of China, commonly known as Taiwan, since the Chinese Civil War in 1949, and the capital of Taiwan since Japanese rule that began in 1895....
, Taiwan
Taiwan

Taiwan is an island in East Asia. "Taiwan" is also commonly used to refer to the country governed by the Republic of China and to the ROC itself, which governs the island of Taiwan, Orchid Island and Green Island, Taiwan in the Pacific Ocean off the Taiwan coast, the Penghu islands in the Taiwan Strait, and Kinmen and the Matsu Islands...
to Johannesburg
Johannesburg

Johannesburg also known as Joburg, is the largest city in South Africa. Johannesburg is the province Capital of Gauteng the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa....
via Mauritius
Mauritius

Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius, , is an island nation off the coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about 900 kilometres east of Madagascar....
, after a fire in the main cargo hold. All 159 people on board were killed.

Incidents

The only sucessful hijacking of a SAA flight took place on 24 May 1972 when a Boeing 727 (ZS-SBE) was hijacked on route from Salisbury in Rhodesia (now known as Harare, Zimbabwe) to Johannesburg. Two Libanese, Kamil and Yagi, took control of the aircrafted by packing dynamite sticks on the hatracks. They were armed with a pistol.

They forced the pilot, Captain Blake Flemington, to return to Salisbury where they landed and re-fuelled with 12 hostages remaining on board. They were bluffed by the captain into thinking that they were en route to the Seychelles, whilst he was in fact heading for Blantyre in Malawi. After landing the passengers used nightfall to go into the cockpit, where they climbed down the emergence escape rope. By the time the hijackers realised this, the captain, one passenger, and a flight stewrad, Dirk Nel, remained on the aircraft.

The two hijackers started fighting with each other for posession of the dynamite fuse. In the ensuing chaos, the three captives escaped, leaving the two hijackers on board. The Malawi security forces started shooting and the two surrendered.

They were jailed for two years on a charge of being in posession of an undeclared firearm on board an aircraft. After serving one year of their sentence, they were released.

South African Airways Flight 322, 17 June 2006 South African Flight 322, a Boeing 737-800 underwent an attempted hijacking by a 21-year-old Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe , is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the continent of Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo River rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east....
an, who took a flight attendant
Flight attendant

Flight attendants or cabin crew are members of an aircrew employed by airlines to ensure the safety and comfort of the passengers aboard passenger airline as well as on select business jet aircraft....
hostage in an attempt to enter the aircraft's cockpit and divert the plane to Maputo
Maputo

Maputo, formerly Louren?o Marques, is the Capital and largest city of Mozambique. A port on the Indian Ocean, its economy is centered around the harbour....
, Mozambique
Mozambique

Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest....
. He was subdued before entering the cockpit on the flight en-route from Cape Town
Cape Town

Cape Town is the second most populous city in South Africa, forming part of the metropolitan municipality of the City of Cape Town. It is the provincial Capital of the Western Cape, as well as the legislature capital of South Africa, where the Parliament of South Africa and many government offices are located....
to Johannesburg
Johannesburg

Johannesburg also known as Joburg, is the largest city in South Africa. Johannesburg is the province Capital of Gauteng the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa....
. The pilots of SAA Flight 322 had been monitoring the incident via CCTV and the plane was turned back to Cape Town
Cape Town

Cape Town is the second most populous city in South Africa, forming part of the metropolitan municipality of the City of Cape Town. It is the provincial Capital of the Western Cape, as well as the legislature capital of South Africa, where the Parliament of South Africa and many government offices are located....
where a police task force stormed the aircraft and arrested the suspect.

Anti-competitive practices

On 5 June 2007, it was announced that SAA paid ZAR 55 million to the South African government's Competition Commission. The penalty was imposed because of anticompetitive behaviour such as price-fixing. This fine was in addition to a ZAR 45 million fine paid by SAA on 31 May 2006 as a penalty for SAA's attempts to prevent travel agents from dealing with rival air carriers.

"Kulula has once again called on government to call it a day and keep its promise...that South African taxpayers will stop filling the begging bowl for ailing state-owned businesses," Many other companies like Flitestar, SunAir and Nationwide had failed because they could not compete with state-funded SAA. "State re-nationalisation of the industry will continue to be destructive to free and fair competition." The company said it was "bizarre" that the proceeds of its income tax, fuel taxes, VAT, import duties and other government levies then were paid over to a state-owner competitor.

External links

(Multimedia)
- SAA historic planes