and largest airline of South Africa, with headquarters in Airways Park on the grounds of OR Tambo International Airport in
. The airline flies to
at OR Tambo International Airport, using a fleet of 59 aircraft. The airline is headed by CEO Siza Mzimela and CFO Kaushik Patel.
. The airline was initially overseen and controlled by
. It suffered imposed sanctions by Africa countries during apartheid, which forced it to adopt long-
aircraft and other measures to counter these restrictions. During this time, it was also known by its
, which has been dropped. In 1997 a major overhaul programme, which involved changing of name, image and
, as well as the introduction of online ticketing services, was carried out by the company's board. The
, and replaced its fleet with newer aircraft. In 2006, SAA split from
. It is the official airline of the
. SAA owns
South African Airways was formed on 1 February 1934 following the acquisition of
. Forty staff members, along with one
were among the acquired. Upon acquisition, the government changed the airline's name to
. The newly-established identity came under control of the South African Railways and Harbours Administration (now
).
[ Charter operations started that year. On 1 February the following year, the carrier]A common carrier in common-law countries is a person or company that transports goods or people for any person or company and that is responsible for any possible loss of the goods during transport...
acquired South West African AirwaysSouth West African Airways was the first commercial air service in South West Africa . It operated from 1930 until 1935, when it was taken over by South African Airways.-History:...
, which had since 1932 been providing a weekly air-mail service between WindhoekWindhoek is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Namibia. It is located in central Namibia in the Khomas Highland plateau area, at around above sea level. The 2001 census determined Windhoek's population was 233,529...
and KimberleyKimberley is a city in South Africa, and the capital of the Northern Cape. It is located near the confluence of the Vaal and Orange Rivers. The town has considerable historical significance due its diamond mining past and siege during the Second Boer War...
.Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
, with weekly services on the DurbanDurban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...
–East London–Port Elizabeth–George/Mossel BayMossel Bay is a harbour town of about 130,000 people on the Southern Cape of South Africa. It is an important tourism and farming region of the Western Cape Province...
–Cape TownCape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
route. On 1 July 1935, SAA moved its operations to Rand Airport as it became increasingly obvious that Johannesburg would become the country's aviation hub, which coincided with the launching of Rand–Durban–East London–Port Elizabeth–Cape Town services. From July the following year a weekly Rand–Kimberley–Beaufort WestBeaufort West is a town in the Western Cape province in South Africa. It is the largest town in the arid Great Karoo region, and forms part of the Beaufort West Local Municipality, with 37 000 inhabitants in 2001....
–Cape Town service commenced; in April A936, all Rand–Cape Town services were taken over from Imperial AirwaysImperial Airways was the early British commercial long range air transport company, operating from 1924 to 1939 and serving parts of Europe but especially the Empire routes to South Africa, India and the Far East...
. A fourth Ju 52/3m shortly joined the fleet.
Orders for a further 10 Ju 52m, along with eighteen Junkers Ju 86The Junkers Ju 86 was a German monoplane bomber and civilian airliner designed in the early 1930s, and employed by both sides during World War II. The civilian model Ju 86B could carry 10 passengers. Two were delivered to Swissair and five to Luft Hansa...
and seven Airspeed EnvoyThe Airspeed AS.6 Envoy was a British light, twin-engined transport aircraft designed and built by Airspeed Ltd. in the 1930s at Portsmouth Aerodrome, Hampshire.-Development and design:...
s (four for the airline and three for the South Africa's air forceThe South African Air Force is the air force of South Africa, with headquarters in Pretoria. It is the world's second oldest independent air force, and its motto is Per Aspera Ad Astra...
) were placed. This raised the number of Ju 52 to fourteen, although three older models were sold when deliveries of the newer Ju 52s began. The airline experienced a rapid expansion during this time, but also suffered its first accident; one of the newly-delivered Ju 52s crashed after takeoff from Rand Airport in July 1937, with a one reported fatality. From 1 February 1934 until the start of World War II, SAA carried 118,822 passengers, 3,278 tonnes of airmail and 248 tonnes of cargo, which were served by 418 employees. On 24 May 1940, all operations were suspended, and aircraft were transferred to the air force for troop-carrying and bombing purposes.
Following the war, frequencies were increased and more routes were opened, which necessitated the conversion of three SAAFThe South African Air Force is the air force of South Africa, with headquarters in Pretoria. It is the world's second oldest independent air force, and its motto is Per Aspera Ad Astra...
Envoys to passenger layout. These aircraft would prove to be unsuitable for passenger and cargo services, so were returned to the SAAF after the arrival of the Junkers Ju 86s.
Growth: 1946–1952
On 10 November 1945, the airline introduced its first interncontinental service, the 3-day Springbok Service, which was routed Palmietfontein–NairobiNairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area also forms the Nairobi County. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, which translates to "the place of cool waters". However, it is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun" and is...
–KhartoumKhartoum is the capital and largest city of Sudan and of Khartoum State. It is located at the confluence of the White Nile flowing north from Lake Victoria, and the Blue Nile flowing west from Ethiopia. The location where the two Niles meet is known as "al-Mogran"...
–CairoCairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
–Castel Benito–Hurn Bournemouth. A weekly service was initially flown, but this later increased to 6 times weekly due to high demands. The Douglas DC-4The Douglas DC-4 is a four-engined propeller-driven airliner developed by the Douglas Aircraft Company. It served during World War II, in the Berlin Airlift and into the 1960s in a military role...
Skymaster debutted with SAA in May 1946 between Johannesburg and Cape Town, which coincided with the introduction of the Douglas DC-3The Douglas DC-3 is an American fixed-wing propeller-driven aircraft whose speed and range revolutionized air transport in the 1930s and 1940s. Its lasting impact on the airline industry and World War II makes it one of the most significant transport aircraft ever made...
Dakota on the Johannesburg–DurbanDurban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...
route.
From 1946, a spike in passengers and cargo carried were experienced, along with the SAA's fleet, with the corresponding increase in staff. As the Skymasters arrived, out went the Avro YorkThe Avro York was a British transport aircraft that was derived from the Second World War Lancaster heavy bomber, and used in both military and airliner roles between 1943 and 1964.-Design and development:...
s back to BOACBoac may refer to:* Boac, Marinduque, a municipality in the Southern Philippines* Boac , an American rapper* British Overseas Airways Corporation, a former British state-owned airline...
. Air hostessFlight attendants or cabin crew are members of an aircrew employed by airlines primarily to ensure the safety and comfort of passengers aboard commercial flights, on select business jet aircraft, and on some military aircraft.-History:The role of a flight attendant derives from that of similar...
were introduced in September 1946, at first in on domestic routes, then on Springbok Services. The two de Havilland DoveThe de Havilland DH.104 Dove was a British monoplane short-haul airliner from de Havilland, the successor to the biplane de Havilland Dragon Rapide and was one of Britain's most successful post-war civil designs...
s were introduced at the endof the year; these aircraft saw services for a short time, and were sold within a few years. The 28-seater Vickers Viking-References:NotesBibliography* Andrews, C.F. and E.B. Morgan. Vickers Aircraft since 1908. London: Putnam, 1988. ISBN 0-85177-815-1.* London, Peter. British Flying Boats. Stroud, UK: Sutton Publishing, 2003. ISBN 0-7509-2695-3....
also served the airline, albeit for a short period, before being sold to British European AirwaysBritish European Airways or British European Airways Corporation was a British airline which existed from 1946 until 1974. The airline operated European and North African routes from airports around the United Kingdom...
.
Palmietfontein AirportPalmietfontein Airport was an airport situated to the south of Johannesburg, South Africa, in the mid 1940s to early 1950s.-History:Palmietfontein Airport was a wartime air force base which was converted to a temporary airport to serve Johannesburg whilst the new airport, Jan Smuts Airport , was...
became SAA's hub after taking over from Rand AirportRand Airport is an airport in Germiston, South Africa. It was constructed in the 1920s as the main airport for Johannesburg, but the city outgrew it and replaced the airport firstly with Palmietfontein Airport in the late 1940s, then with the larger Jan Smuts International Airport in the...
in 1948. This was among a host of changes made by the airline regarding its operations and services during the year; the other notable improvement was the showing of films onboard its Skymaster aircraft in June.
The jet age: 1953–1973
The jet age arrived in South Africa on 3 May 1952, when a BOACBoac may refer to:* Boac, Marinduque, a municipality in the Southern Philippines* Boac , an American rapper* British Overseas Airways Corporation, a former British state-owned airline...
de Havilland CometThe de Havilland DH 106 Comet was the world's first commercial jet airliner to reach production. Developed and manufactured by de Havilland at the Hatfield, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom headquarters, it first flew in 1949 and was a landmark in aeronautical design...
arrived in Palmietfontein after a 24-hour journey, with 5 refuelling stops en route. South African consequently chartered two examples from the British airline; SAA made history by becoming the first airline outside the UK on 4 October 1953, when Comet G-ANAV operated from London to Johannesburg. On the same day, Tourist Class were introduced on the 58-seater Lockheed ConstellationThe Lockheed Constellation was a propeller-driven airliner powered by four 18-cylinder radial Wright R-3350 engines. It was built by Lockheed between 1943 and 1958 at its Burbank, California, USA, facility. A total of 856 aircraft were produced in numerous models, all distinguished by a...
on the Springbok Service. The two chartered aircraft sport both of BOAC's and SAA's titles and logos, but were operated by South African's crew.
Going against the trend at the time of the transformations to jet operations, South African Airways, in 1956, introduced the Douglas DC-7The Douglas DC-7 is an American transport aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company from 1953 to 1958. It was the last major piston engine powered transport made by Douglas, coming just a few years before the advent of jet aircraft such as the Boeing 707 and Douglas DC-8.-Design and...
B. The DC-7 was among the fastest piston-engine airliner in the world, and had a decent rangeThe maximal total range is the distance an aircraft can fly between takeoff and landing, as limited by fuel capacity in powered aircraft, or cross-country speed and environmental conditions in unpowered aircraft....
. SAA fully exploited the aircraft's performance by introducing it on the Johannesburg–London, but with only one stop at KhartoumKhartoum is the capital and largest city of Sudan and of Khartoum State. It is located at the confluence of the White Nile flowing north from Lake Victoria, and the Blue Nile flowing west from Ethiopia. The location where the two Niles meet is known as "al-Mogran"...
. This was known as the East Coast express, taking 21 hours to complete, versus BOAC's inaugural Comet flight between the two cities of 24 hours. This later became the West Coast express when the technical stop at Khartoum was tranferred to KanoKano is a city in Nigeria and the capital of Kano State in Northern Nigeria. Its metropolitan population is the second largest in Nigeria after Lagos. The Kano Urban area covers 137 sq.km and comprises six Local Government Area - Kano Municipal, Fagge, Dala, Gwale, Tarauni and Nassarawa - with a...
, Nigeria, resulting in a shortened flying of 18 hours. Inauguration of the Wallaby service, routed JohannesburgJohannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
–MauritiusMauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...
–Cocos Islands–PerthPerth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
, Australia, took place in November 1957, which as served fortnightly.
After a host of accidents involving SAA's and other airlines' Comets, the airline placed order for three J57-powered Boeing 707–320The Boeing 707 is a four-engine narrow-body commercial passenger jet airliner developed by Boeing in the early 1950s. Its name is most commonly pronounced as "Seven Oh Seven". The first airline to operate the 707 was Pan American World Airways, inaugurating the type's first commercial flight on...
Intercontinentals on 21 February 1958, with the first of three delivered on 1 July 1960. Three months after arrival, on 1 October 1960, the Boeing 707 was deployed on the airline's flagship Springbok Service, trimming the flying time down to 13 hours. Other changes brought about by the 707 was a livery change, which now has an orange tail with a blue and white markings, as well as improved comforts, range and speed. It also replaced the DC-7 on the Wallaby route; Cocos Islands was dropped, while SydneySydney Airport may refer to:* Sydney Airport, also known as Kingsford Smith International Airport, in Sydney, Australia* Sydney/J.A. Douglas McCurdy Airport, in Nova Scotia, Canada...
became the terminus. Flights to New York, via Rio de JaneiroRio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
, inaugurated on 23 February 1969 using a 707. The first 707 of SAA landed in Europe in October 1961 with a nine-hour flight to AthensAthens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
.
The arrival of these jets matches a period where most African countries, except SA's neighbours, denied South African airlines the right to use their airspaceAirspace means the portion of the atmosphere controlled by a country above its territory, including its territorial waters or, more generally, any specific three-dimensional portion of the atmosphere....
, forcing the carriers to fly longer detours. In 1967, the Skymasters, Constellations and DC-7Bs were seeing retirement, replaced by the commercially-successful Boeing 727The Boeing 727 is a mid-size, narrow-body, three-engine, T-tailed commercial jet airliner, manufactured by Boeing. The Boeing 727 first flew in 1963, and for over a decade more were built per year than any other jet airliner. When production ended in 1984 a total of 1,832 aircraft had been produced...
trijetA Trijet is an aircraft powered by three jet engines. Early twin-jet designs were limited by the FAA's "60-minute rule", whereby the flight path of twin-engined jetliners was restricted to within 60 minutes' flying time from a suitable airport, in case of engine failure. In 1964 this rule was...
the following year to complement the Boeing 707. The choice of 727 was based on the geography of the destinations to which it would fly; for example Johannesburg is 1694 metres (5,557.7 ft) high and hot, where the 727's wings and other technical capabilities enable it to operate out of these airports. (for further information, please see Hot and highIn aviation, hot and high is a condition of low air density due to high ambient temperature and high airport elevation. Air density decreases with increasing temperature and altitude. Lower air density reduces the amount of lift generated by the wings or the rotors of an aircraft, which may hamper...
)
On 13 March 1968, SAA placed an order for five JT9D-7R4G2-Bibliography:* Gunston, Bill. World Encyclopedia of Aero Engines. Cambridge, England. Patrick Stephens Limited, 1989. ISBN 1-85260-163-9-External links:*...
-powered Boeing 747-200Bs. The first one of these, Lebombo (registered as ZS-SAN), were delivered on 22 October 1971 after a 3-stop delivery flight from Seattle. It was placed into service in December, and proved very popular with passengers. SAA would eventually order and operate 23 brand-new "Jumbo Jets" in total, including the −200M (first delivered in 1980), −300 (1983), −400, and the long-rangeThe maximal total range is the distance an aircraft can fly between takeoff and landing, as limited by fuel capacity in powered aircraft, or cross-country speed and environmental conditions in unpowered aircraft....
Boeing 747SPThe Boeing 747SP is a modified version of the Boeing 747 jet airliner which was designed for ultra-long-range flights. The SP stands for "Special Performance". Compared with its predecessor, the 747-100, the 747SP retains its wide-body, four-engine layout, along with its double-deck design, but...
. The 747SP, especially, was acquired to overcome the refusal of many countries prohibiting SAA from using their airspace by fully exploiting its long-range capabilities, as well as to serve lower-density routes which were unsuited to the 747-100 six examples were delivered starting from 19 March 1976. To demonstrate the 747SP's performance, a delivery flight was carried out during which an example flew from Seattle to Cape Town non-stop. The first 747SP arrived on South African shores on 19 March 1976. As the 747s entered service, its smaller siblings, the 707s, were converted to combi – passenger/cargo – configurations, and high-density seatings to suit a different route structure. All of SAA's Vickers ViscountThe Vickers Viscount was a British medium-range turboprop airliner first flown in 1948 by Vickers-Armstrongs, making it the first such aircraft to enter service in the world...
s were sold to British Midland Airways by March 1972 after being replaced by the popular and successful Boeing 737The Boeing 737 is a short- to medium-range, twin-engine narrow-body jet airliner. Originally developed as a shorter, lower-cost twin-engine airliner derived from Boeing's 707 and 727, the 737 has developed into a family of nine passenger models with a capacity of 85 to 215 passengers...
s.
Expansion: 1974–1983
A major development for the airline during the 1970s was the opening of a route to Asia, with Boeing 707The Boeing 707 is a four-engine narrow-body commercial passenger jet airliner developed by Boeing in the early 1950s. Its name is most commonly pronounced as "Seven Oh Seven". The first airline to operate the 707 was Pan American World Airways, inaugurating the type's first commercial flight on...
flights to Hong Kong in June 1974, with an en route stop as Seychelles Islands. In 1980, when SAA began flights to Taipei using a 747SP, by which time Seychelles Islands was replaced in favour of MauritiusMauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...
for the Hong Kong service. South Africa became one of the few countries in the world to recognise the government of Republic of ChinaThe Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
in Taiwan.
On Boxing DayBoxing Day is a bank or public holiday that occurs on 26 December, or the first or second weekday after Christmas Day, depending on national or regional laws. It is observed in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and some other Commonwealth nations. In Ireland, it is recognized as...
1980 – 26 December – the last South African Airways Boeing 707 service was operated between Paris and Johannesburg. Upon touchdown, a chapter in SAA's history was closed, bringing the 20-year career of the 707 to an end. The quadjet was replaced by the world's first wide-bodyA wide-body aircraft is a large airliner with two passenger aisles, also known as a widebody aircraft or twin-aisle aircraft. The typical fuselage diameter is . In the typical wide-body economy cabin, passengers are seated seven to ten abreast, allowing a total capacity of 200 to 850 passengers...
twinjetA twinjet or twin jet is a jet aircraft powered by two engines. Such configuration of an aircraft is the most popular today for commercial airliners, for fighters, and many other kinds, because while offering safety from a single engine failure, it is also acceptably fuel-efficient.-Aircraft...
, the Airbus A300The Airbus A300 is a short- to medium-range widebody jet airliner. Launched in 1972 as the world's first twin-engined widebody, it was the first product of Airbus Industrie, a consortium of European aerospace companies, wholly owned today by EADS...
, which had entered revenue-raising service in 1976. Likewise, the 727 were all phased out by 1983, with the replacement being the more economical Boeing 737The Boeing 737 is a short- to medium-range, twin-engine narrow-body jet airliner. Originally developed as a shorter, lower-cost twin-engine airliner derived from Boeing's 707 and 727, the 737 has developed into a family of nine passenger models with a capacity of 85 to 215 passengers...
. As a number of countries withdrew landing rights for SAA, however, the airline leased its aircraft to Canada, Mauritius, BrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
and MoroccoMorocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
, along with its crew.
Effect of apartheid: 1985–1990
Due to international condemnation of the apartheid regime during the 1980s, SAA itself faced hostility, with its offices being attacked. SAA's London office was daubed with red paint, while in HarareHarare before 1982 known as Salisbury) is the largest city and 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. It is Zimbabwe's largest city and its...
, Zimbabwe, its offices were badly damaged after protesters went on the rampage.
The U.S. Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid ActThe Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act of 1986 was a law enacted by the United States Congress. Sponsored by U.S. Representative Ron Dellums in 1972, the law was the first United States anti-apartheid legislation. The act was initiated in reaction to the plight of blacks in South Africa and...
of 1986 banned all flights by South African–owned carriers including SAA. In 1987, SAA's services to PerthPerth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
and Sydney in Australia were ended, in light of Australia's opposition to apartheid. There were other upbeat events however; the South African Airways Museum Society opened its doors to the public at Jan Smuts International Airport (which was renamed the OR Tambo International Airport in 2006). The organisation was formed by South African Airways employees and outside parties with the mission of preserving South African aviation history, especially SAA itself. Based at Transvaal Aviation Club, Rand AirportRand Airport is an airport in Germiston, South Africa. It was constructed in the 1920s as the main airport for Johannesburg, but the city outgrew it and replaced the airport firstly with Palmietfontein Airport in the late 1940s, then with the larger Jan Smuts International Airport in the...
, Germiston, it was founded after the restoration of the Junkers Ju 52/3ms. Since then, many aircraft have been added to SAA Museum Society's collection of famous aircraft relating to South Africa's aviation industry.
End of the 'pariah airline': 1991–1996
With the demise of apartheid, beginning in 1990, SAA was able to shake off its pariah image, restoring services to former destinations, introducing services to new ones and expanding into the rest of Africa, and into Asia. 1 June 1990 was 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 magazine Executive Travel. Flights to New York's JFK International Airport resumed in November 1991 after the United States imposed economic sanctions on South Africa in 1986, and South African's planes were able to fly for the first time over EgyptEgypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
and SudanSudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
, on 8 September. The airline launched flights to Milan on 1 June during the year, and services to Athens were re-introduced. Also, an interline with AeroflotOJSC AeroflotRussian Airlines , commonly known as Aeroflot , is the flag carrier and largest airline of the Russian Federation, based on passengers carried per year...
was established.
The first of SAA's eight Boeing 747-400The Boeing 747-400 is a major development and the best-selling model of the Boeing 747 family of jet airliners. While retaining the four-engine wide-body layout of its predecessors, the 747-400 embodies numerous technological and structural changes to produce a more efficient airframe...
s, named Durban, arrived in South Africa on 19 January 1991. The airline was unusual in that two different turbofanThe turbofan is a type of airbreathing jet engine that is widely used for aircraft propulsion. A turbofan combines two types of engines, the turbo portion which is a conventional gas turbine engine, and the fan, a propeller-like ducted fan...
engines were selected. Six Roll-Royce RB211-524HThe 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 pounds-force thrust. Originally developed for the Lockheed L-1011 , it entered service in 1972 and was the only engine to power this aircraft type...
-powered examples were ordered; the other two were had four General Electric CF6-80C2B5FThe General Electric CF6 is a family of high-bypass turbofan engines produced by GE Aviation. A development of the first high-power high-bypass jet engine available, the TF39, the CF6 powers a wide variety of civilian airliners. The basic engine core formed the basis for the LM2500, LM5000, and...
s each. With winglets, structural changes, as well as fuel-efficientFuel efficiency is a form of thermal efficiency, meaning the efficiency of a process that converts chemical potential energy contained in a carrier fuel into kinetic energy or work. Overall fuel efficiency may vary per device, which in turn may vary per application, and this spectrum of variance is...
engines enabled these aircraft to fly non-stopA non-stop flight, especially in the aviation industry, refers to any flight by an aircraft which does not involve any intermediate stops. A "direct flight" is not the same as a "non-stop flight"...
from South Africa to the East Coast of the United StatesThe East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...
. The arrival of Boeing's newest Jumbo perhaps overshadowed the acquisition by SAA of the world's first commercial fly-by-wireFly-by-wire is a system that replaces the conventional manual flight controls of an aircraft with an electronic interface. The movements of flight controls are converted to electronic signals transmitted by wires , and flight control computers determine how to move the actuators at each control...
airliner, the Airbus A320The Airbus A320 family is a family of short- to medium-range, narrow-body, commercial passenger jet airliners manufactured by Airbus Industrie.Airbus was originally a consortium of European aerospace companies, and is now fully owned by EADS. Airbus's name has been Airbus SAS since 2001...
, to assist and enhance services within the country and on regional services. Also arrived were the wide-body Boeing 767The Boeing 767 is a mid-size, wide-body twin-engine jet airliner built by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. It was the manufacturer's first wide-body twinjet and its first airliner with a two-crew glass cockpit. The aircraft features two turbofan engines, a supercritical wing, and a conventional tail...
s, in August 1993, which SAA deployed on African, Southern European and Middle Eastern routes. They would be phased out within ten years.
During 1992, South African entered the Miami market (from Cape Town) by flying into Miami International AirportMiami International Airport , also known as MIA and historically Wilcox Field, is the primary airport serving the South Florida area...
, and re-entered Australia flying direct to Perth, followed with a same day return "shuttle" service to Sydney. This year also saw codesharing agreements with American AirlinesAmerican Airlines, Inc. is the world's fourth-largest airline in passenger miles transported and operating revenues. American Airlines is a subsidiary of the AMR Corporation and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas adjacent to its largest hub at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport...
and Air TanzaniaAir Tanzania is the national airline of Tanzania. Its main base is Julius Nyerere International Airport, Dar es Salaam.-History:Air Tanzania Corporation was established on 10 March 1977 after the breakup of East African Airways, which had previously served the region. Flights were started from...
. Direct flights to Southeast Asia including Bangkok and SingaporeSingapore Changi Airport , Changi International Airport, or simply Changi Airport, is the main airport in Singapore. A major aviation hub in Southeast Asia, it is about north-east from the commercial centre in Changi, on a site....
; the later was discontinued by 1996. The following year, SAA began services to Manchester and Hamburg, and a codesharing agreement was reached with BrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
's VarigVARIG was the first airline founded in Brazil, in 1927. From 1965 until 1990 it was Brazil's leading and almost only international airline...
. It also saw the birth of the airline Alliance, which was a partnership between SAA, Uganda AirlinesUganda Airlines was the flag carrier of Uganda. The airline was established in May 1976, and started operations in 1977. It was headquartered in Entebbe, Wakiso District, Uganda, and operated from its hub in Entebbe International Airport under the IATA airline code QU and the ICAO airline code code...
and Air TanzaniaAir Tanzania is the national airline of Tanzania. Its main base is Julius Nyerere International Airport, Dar es Salaam.-History:Air Tanzania Corporation was established on 10 March 1977 after the breakup of East African Airways, which had previously served the region. Flights were started from...
. Also South African greeted its passengers in four different languages during domestic flights: English, ZuluZulu is the 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 AirwaysKenya Airways Ltd., more commonly known as Kenya Airways, is the flag carrier and largest airline of Kenya. The company was founded in 1977, after the dissolution of East African Airways. The carrier's head office is located in Embakasi, Nairobi, with its main base at Jomo Kenyatta International...
(and affiliated Precision Air). The Tanzanian government is subsidising Air Tanzania while it disentangles the relationship with SAA.
On 24 April 1994, South African ExpressSouth African Express Airways is an airline based in South Africa. Although the airline is operationally independent of South African Airways, its flights are incorporated within the strategic alliance with Airlink and South African Airways. South African Express started operations on 24 April 1994...
(SA Express), a feeder airline service of South African, began operating. This came after a 3-year preparation process since 1991, when the regional airlineRegional airlines are airlines that operate regional aircraft to provide passenger air service to communities without sufficient demand to attract mainline service...
was granted its operating license. SAA initially held a 20% stake in the SA Express – the other three shareholders were Alliance Airline Holdings (51%), SA Enterprises (24.9%) and Abyss Investments (4.1%). SA Express took over some of South African's low-density domestic routes.
As of April 1996, South African employed 11,100 people, of whom 3,100 were engineers and 293 being lincensed avionics engineers. It owned and operated 48 aircraft, and served 34 destinations from its main hubsAn airline hub is an airport that an airline uses as a transfer point to get passengers to their intended destination. It is part of a hub and spoke model, where travelers moving between airports not served by direct flights change planes en route to their destinations...
at Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg.
Rebranding: 1997–2005
In 1997, SAA introduced its new image and livery, dropping the springbokThe springbok is a medium-sized brown and white gazelle that stands about high. Springbok males weigh between and the females between...
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 South African, with the AfrikaansAfrikaans is a West Germanic language, spoken natively in South Africa and Namibia. It is a daughter language of Dutch, originating in its 17th century dialects, collectively referred to as Cape Dutch .Afrikaans is a daughter language of Dutch; see , , , , , .Afrikaans was historically called Cape...
name Suid-Afrikaanse Lugdiens dropped. As a symbol of the new rainbow nation, one of SAA's 747-300s, named Ndizani (registration ZS-SAJ), was painted in bright colours. Since Ndizani was withdrawn from service, there have been calls to paint another SAA aircraft in these striking colours. This special-liveried 747-300 helped transported South African Olympic athletes to AtlantaHartsfield–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, United States...
for the 1996 Summer OlympicsThe 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....
in Atlanta. The airline started online ticket sales and formed an alliance with SA Airlink and SA Express.
In 1998, services to Buenos AiresBuenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
and São Paulo's Guarulhos AirportSão Paulo/Guarulhos – Governador André Franco Montoro International Airport , formerly called Cumbica Airport after the district where it is located and the Air Force Base that still exists at the airport complex, is the main airport serving São Paulo, Brazil. It is located in the adjoining...
were restored, while services to Copenhagen AirportCopenhagen Airport is the main international airport serving Copenhagen, Denmark and the Oresund Region. It is located on the island of Amager, south of Copenhagen city centre, and west of Malmö city centre on the other side of the Oresund Bridge. The airport lies mainly in the municipality...
were stopped. A new airline president and CEO, Coleman Andrews, was appointed. The arrival of the American saw a very comprehensive and somewhat controversial overhaul of the airline, changing the management of SAA. Mr Andrews was brought in by Transnet, the state-owned parent companyA parent company is a company that owns enough voting stock in another firm to control management and operations by influencing or electing its board of directors; the second company being deemed as a subsidiary of the parent company...
, to remedy the problems of dwindling passengers, 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". He was creditted with rescueing World AirwaysWorld Airways, Inc. is an American airline headquartered at the HLH Building in Peachtree City, Georgia. For the most part, the company operates non-scheduled services. Its main aircraft and maintenance base is Tampa International Airport.-History:...
from the brink of bankruptcy and earlier in the decade. During his first 18 months (out of 3 year) as CEO, South African Airway's market value increased fivefold.
In 2000, SAA placed order for 21 next-generation Boeing 737–800s, reportedly worth US$680 million. Among the 21, five CFM 56-7B27The CFM International CFM56 series is a family of high-bypass turbofan aircraft engines made by CFM International , with a thrust range of . CFMI is a 50–50 joint-owned company of SNECMA, France and GE Aviation , USA. Both companies are responsible for producing components and each has its own...
-powered examples were requested outright from BoeingThe Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...
, while the rest from other parties. The order was South African's aim to renew its fleet and phase out the likes of Airbus A300s and A320s, meaning the Boeings would be deployed on regional and domestic routes of the airline.
The 737 order was followed by yet another Airbus order in 2002. Under CEO Andre Viljoen, South African Airways requested AirbusAirbus SAS is an aircraft manufacturing subsidiary of EADS, a European aerospace company. Based in Blagnac, France, surburb of Toulouse, and with significant activity across Europe, the company produces around half of the world's jet airliners....
to overhaul its fleet at a cost of US$3.5 billion in March 2002, taking advantage of a slump in the order books both Boeing and Airbus. The entire airline industry was still staggering after the 11 September attacks in the US, which lead to new aircraft orders either being deferred, or cancelled altogether. SAA was in a buyers market and with the demise of SwissairSwissair AG was the former national airline of Switzerland.It was formed from a merger between Balair and Ad Astra Aero , in 1931...
, which had A340-600s about to be delivered, made a huge impact on Airbus clinching the SAA deal.
This was part of a bigger order that covered 11 A319s, 15 A320s, nine A340-600s and six A340-300s. Three of the A340-600The Airbus A340 is a long-range four-engine wide-body commercial passenger jet airliner. Developed by Airbus Industrie,A consortium of European aerospace companies, Airbus is now fully owned by EADS and since 2001 has been known as Airbus SAS. a consortium of European aerospace companies, which is...
aircraft came from International Lease Finance CorporationThe International Lease Finance Corporation is an aircraft lessor headquartered in Century City, Los Angeles, California.It is the world's largest aircraft lessor by value, though ILFC's rival, General Electric's GECAS unit, has more aircraft...
(ILFC). The new Airbus A319s replaced the ageing Boeing 737–200 fleet, but the Boeing 737-800sThe Boeing 737 Next Generation, commonly abbreviated as Boeing 737NG, is the name given to the -600/-700/-800/-900 series of the Boeing 737 after the introduction of the -300/-400/-500 Classic series. They are short- to medium-range, narrow-body jet airliners...
continue in service, because SAA cancelled the A320 order before any aircraft were delivered.
Later that year, South African Airways made a successful bid for a 49% stake in Air TanzaniaAir Tanzania is the national airline of Tanzania. Its main base is Julius Nyerere International Airport, Dar es Salaam.-History:Air Tanzania Corporation was established on 10 March 1977 after the breakup of East African Airways, which had previously served the region. Flights were started from...
. The move highlighted SAA's wish to gain a foothold in the East African region. The bid was worth $20 million, and 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 1999, South African and Delta Air LinesDelta Air Lines, Inc. is a major airline based in the United States and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The airline operates an extensive domestic and international network serving all continents except Antarctica. Delta and its subsidiaries operate over 4,000 flights every day...
started codesharing on flights from Atlanta to South Africa. Those flights took place on South African Airways planes. 2000 saw South African arrive at Ft. LauderdaleFort Lauderdale is a city in the U.S. state of Florida, on the Atlantic coast. It is the county seat of Broward County. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 165,521. It is a principal city of the South Florida metropolitan area, which was home to 5,564,635 people at the 2010...
's Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International AirportFort Lauderdale – Hollywood International Airport is an international commercial airport located in unincorporated Broward County, Florida, three miles southwest of the central business district of Fort Lauderdale...
.
In 2001, South African won the Best Cargo Airline to Africa award from Air Cargo News – (even though South African is mainly a passenger airline) – and South African Airways signed a codesharing agreement with Nigeria AirwaysNigeria Airways Ltd., more commonly known as Nigeria Airways, is a defunct Nigerian airline. The company was founded in 1958 after the dissolution of West African Airways Corporation. It was wholly owned by the Government of Nigeria, and served as the country's flag carrier. The airline was...
, to provide service from the United States to Lagos Lagos is a port and the most populous conurbation in Nigeria. With a population of 7,937,932, it is currently the third most populous city in Africa after Cairo and Kinshasa, and currently estimated to be the second fastest growing city in Africa...
, using South African 747s. (This codeshare 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 SurveyZagat Survey was established by Tim 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 City, the Zagats surveyed their friends. As of 2005, the Zagat Survey included 70 cities, with reviews based on the input of...
's top ten international airlines list, opened a new website and named Andre Viljoen as Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
In March 2004, South African Airways announced its application to join Star AllianceStar Alliance is the world's first and largest airline alliance, headquartered in Frankfurt am Main, Germany . The alliance was founded in 1997 by five of the world's leading airlines: Air Canada, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, 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 MedinaMedina , or ; also transliterated as Madinah, or madinat al-nabi "the city of the prophet") 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 Islamic Prophet Muhammad, and...
in Saudi Arabia.
In July 2005, SAA started four times weekly JohannesburgJohannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
-AccraAccra is the capital and largest city of Ghana, with an urban population of 1,658,937 according to the 2000 census. Accra is also the capital of the Greater Accra Region and of the Accra Metropolitan District, with which it is coterminous...
-Washington, D.C. 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 DakarDakar is the capital city and largest city of Senegal. It is located on the Cap-Vert Peninsula on the Atlantic coast and is the westernmost city on the African mainland...
. AccraAccra is the capital and largest city of Ghana, with an urban population of 1,658,937 according to the 2000 census. Accra is also the capital of the Greater Accra Region and of the Accra Metropolitan District, with which it is coterminous...
will remain an SAA destination, however. In 2007, SAA retired the last of its 747-400 fleet; two were reactivated in 2008 for flights to Lagos Lagos is a port and the most populous conurbation in Nigeria. With a population of 7,937,932, it is currently the third most populous city in Africa after Cairo and Kinshasa, and currently estimated to be the second fastest growing city in Africa...
, and by 2010 LuandaLuanda, formerly named São Paulo da Assunção de Loanda, is the capital and largest city of Angola. Located on Angola's coast with the Atlantic Ocean, Luanda is both Angola's chief seaport and its administrative center. It has a population of at least 5 million...
as well. SAA intends to retire them again by the end of 2010.
On 6 June 2006, South African Airways' codeshare alliance with the US Airline, Delta Air LinesDelta Air Lines, Inc. is a major airline based in the United States and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The airline operates an extensive domestic and international network serving all continents except Antarctica. Delta and its subsidiaries operate over 4,000 flights every day...
, was terminated. South African's participation in the Star AllianceStar Alliance is the world's first and largest airline alliance, headquartered in Frankfurt am Main, Germany . The alliance was founded in 1997 by five of the world's leading airlines: Air Canada, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Thai Airways International and United Airlines...
caused tension between the airlines as it is a major competitor of Delta's SkyTeamSkyTeam, branded as SKYTEAM, is an airline alliance with its centralised management team, SkyTeam Central, based at the World Trade Center Schiphol Airport on the grounds of Amsterdam Airport Schiphol in Haarlemmermeer, Netherlands...
alliance.
Restructuring and Star Alliance: 2006–present
As early as 2003, media reports appeared of the South African government's plan to restructure and overhaul the state-owned enterprise TransnetTransnet SOC Ltd is a large South African rail, port and pipeline company, headquartered in the Carlton Centre in Johannesburg. It was formed as a limited company on April 1, 1990. A majority of the company's stock is owned by the Department of Public Enterprises, or DPE, of the South African...
, due to dismal financial performance. The plans called for the split of South African Airways from its parent company Transnet, which would see SAA to operate under a separate identity. Because of legislative processes, the deadline was moved from 2005 to 31 March 2006.
A significant was SAA's joining the world's biggest airline allianceAn airline alliance is an agreement between two or more airlines to cooperate on a substantial level. The three largest passenger alliances are the Star Alliance, SkyTeam and Oneworld. Alliances also form between cargo airlines, such as that of WOW Alliance, SkyTeam Cargo and ANA/UPS Alliance...
, Star AllianceStar Alliance is the world's first and largest airline alliance, headquartered in Frankfurt am Main, Germany . The alliance was founded in 1997 by five of the world's leading airlines: Air Canada, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Thai Airways International and United Airlines...
, on 10 April 2006. SAA was the first African airline to join Star Alliance, and with its entry, the alliance's membership was raised to 18. To celebrate the occasion, and as a condition of entry, the African airline painted an Airbus A340-600 (registration ZS-SNC and Boeing 737–800 (registration ZS-SJV) in Star AllianceStar Alliance is the world's first and largest airline alliance, headquartered in Frankfurt am Main, Germany . The alliance was founded in 1997 by five of the world's leading airlines: Air Canada, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Thai Airways International and United Airlines...
's aircraft livery. South African Airways fulfilled 53 requirements during the joining process.
In May 2007, SAA launched a 18-month comprehensive restructuring programme which aimed to ensure that the airline became profitable. The restructuring attempted to streamline the business as well as to re-skill employees and improve their morale and management/workers relations. According to then-CEO Khaya Ngqula, this came largely after "uncompetitive ownership and aircraft lease costs, excessive head count and fuel price volatility". The programme involves: the spin-off of businesses into seven subsidiaries, thereby allowing SAA to concentrate on its core business of passenger and cargo transport; the grounding SAA's Boeing 747–400 fleet; rationalising international routes (Paris was dropped altogether); the axing of 30% of the airline's managers; among other reductions. This was expected to save the airline R2.7 billion (US$378.2 million). By June 2009, R2,5 billion were saved.
On 20 June 2008, the Association of Tennis ProfessionalsThe Association of Tennis Professionals or ATP was formed in 1972 by Donald Dell, Jack Kramer, and Cliff Drysdale to protect the interests of male professional tennis players. Since 1990, the association has organized the worldwide tennis tour for men and linked the title of the tour with the...
(ATP) agreed to extend South African Airways' sponsorship of the organisation another 3 and a half years. This sponsorship extension succeeds two years of co-operation that "have seen a successful partnership blossom between SAA and the ATP". The deal is worth $20 million, and runs until the end of 2012. On the same day it was announced that a new ATP World Tour tournament would be held in South Africa in 2009. In 2010, the company sought to recover $4 million from then-CEO Khaya Ngqula, for allegedly spending the money on his friends and awarding business deals with organisations and individual in which he had an interest. Among them are ATPThe Association of Tennis Professionals or ATP was formed in 1972 by Donald Dell, Jack Kramer, and Cliff Drysdale to protect the interests of male professional tennis players. Since 1990, the association has organized the worldwide tennis tour for men and linked the title of the tour with the...
and professional golferIn golf the distinction between amateurs and professionals is rigorously maintained. An amateur who breaches the rules of amateur status may lose his or her amateur status. A golfer who has lost his or her amateur status may not play in amateur competitions until amateur status has been reinstated;...
Ángel CabreraÁngel Cabrera is an Argentine professional golfer who plays on both the European Tour and PGA Tour. He is known affectionately as "El Pato" in Spanish or in English as "The duck" for his waddling gait. He is a former U.S. Open champion and Masters champion. He is the first Argentine to win either...
. In February 2010, the airline appointed Siza Mzimela as its first female CEO. This came after "an extensive and thorough process to find a suitable candidate" for Khaya Ngqula, who was accused for mismanagement, and has therefore quit. Mzimela was previously CEO of SAA's domestic partner airline, South African ExpressSouth African Express Airways is an airline based in South Africa. Although the airline is operationally independent of South African Airways, its flights are incorporated within the strategic alliance with Airlink and South African Airways. South African Express started operations on 24 April 1994...
(SA Express). She took over the position from Chris Smyth on 1 April that year, who has been acting CEO ever since Khaya Ngqula left since March 2009.
At the end of 2010, SAA permanently phased out the two Boeing 747-400s, which were temporarily re-introduced in late 2008. The 747-400s, which had been important to the airline's long-haul route structure, were initially retired in 2007 as part of the company's restructuring plan. This was expected to save it $60 million during the fiscal year ending March 2009. The fleet of Jumbo Jets was the backbone of South Africa–U.K. services. When the aircraft re-entered service, they served flights to Lagos Lagos is a port and the most populous conurbation in Nigeria. With a population of 7,937,932, it is currently the third most populous city in Africa after Cairo and Kinshasa, and currently estimated to be the second fastest growing city in Africa...
and LuandaLuanda, formerly named São Paulo da Assunção de Loanda, is the capital and largest city of Angola. Located on Angola's coast with the Atlantic Ocean, Luanda is both Angola's chief seaport and its administrative center. It has a population of at least 5 million...
. SAA's Airbus A340-600s are the 747's replacement.
In April 2011, South African Airways embarked on a set of new marketing campaigns in the form of TV ads entitled "Whisper" and "Vuyo", directed by Jeana Theron of Bouffant. The ads conclude with "South African Airways: Africa's Most Awarded Airline." These campaigns coincide with the customer experience improvements implemented by the airline in early 2011, including the cabin upgrades offered to customers flying long haul on the airline's six new A330-200s being delivered throughout 2011. The customer experience improvements allow SAA to better compete with rival carriers on key routes to London from both Cape Town and Johannesburg.
Emblems
South African Airways' "Flying SpringbokSpringbok can have the following meanings:* Springbok , a small antelope inhabiting southern and western Africa.* South Africa national rugby union team, known as the Springboks....
" logo has been an integral symbolThe American Marketing Association defines a brand as a "Name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller's good or service as distinct from those of other sellers."...
of the South African carrier ever since its formation in 1934. So much so, when referring to SAA, "the Flying Springbok" is sometimes used instead of its full name, much like the reference of "the Flying KangarooA kangaroo is a marsupial from the family Macropodidae . In common use the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, especially those of the genus Macropus, Red Kangaroo, Antilopine Kangaroo, Eastern Grey Kangaroo and Western Grey Kangaroo. Kangaroos are endemic to the country...
" associated with Australian carrierA common carrier in common-law countries is a person or company that transports goods or people for any person or company and that is responsible for any possible loss of the goods during transport...
QantasQantas Airways Limited is the flag carrier of Australia. The name was originally "QANTAS", an initialism for "Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services". Nicknamed "The Flying Kangaroo", the airline is based in Sydney, with its main hub at Sydney Airport...
. However, the logo has been discontinued since 1997, when it was dropped in favour of a new aircraft liveryAircraft livery is a paint scheme applied to an aircraft, generally to fuselage, wings, empennage , or jet engines. Most airlines have a standard paint scheme for their aircraft fleet, usually prominently displaying the airline logo or name. From time to time special liveries are introduced, for...
and identityThe American Marketing Association defines a brand as a "Name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller's good or service as distinct from those of other sellers."...
, although the word "Springbok" remains its radio callsign.
Head office
South African Airways is headquartered in Airways Park on the grounds of OR Tambo International Airport in Kempton ParkKempton Park is a city on the East Rand in the Gauteng province, South Africa. Formerly an independent municipality in the Transvaal, Kempton Park no longer has its own municipal government, and has been part of the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality since 2000...
, Ekurhuleni, GautengGauteng is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. It was formed from part of the old Transvaal Province after South Africa's first all-race elections on 27 April 1994...
. The building was developed by Stauch Vorster Architects. Completed in March 1997 for RThe rand is the currency of South Africa. It takes its name from the Witwatersrand , the ridge upon which Johannesburg is built and where most of South Africa's gold deposits were found. The rand has the symbol "R" and is subdivided into 100 cents, symbol "c"...
70 million, the 27000 sqm current head office building links to three older buildings. Two atriums bridge the buildings; the first has a canteen, and the second acts as a circulation hub. Planted courtyards lie between the old and new buildings.
South African Airways moved its head office from DurbanDurban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...
to Rand AirportRand Airport is an airport in Germiston, South Africa. It was constructed in the 1920s as the main airport for Johannesburg, but the city outgrew it and replaced the airport firstly with Palmietfontein Airport in the late 1940s, then with the larger Jan Smuts International Airport in the...
in Germiston on 1 July 1935. Before the head office moved to its current location, the airline's head office was in the Airways Towers in Johannesburg.
Anti-competitive practices
On 5 June 2007, it was announced that SAA paid RThe rand is the currency of South Africa. It takes its name from the Witwatersrand , the ridge upon which Johannesburg is built and where most of South Africa's gold deposits were found. The rand has the symbol "R" and is subdivided into 100 cents, symbol "c"...
55 million to the Competition Commission of South Africa because of anti-competitive behaviour such as price fixingPrice fixing is an agreement between participants on the same side in a market to buy or sell a product, service, or commodity only at a fixed price, or maintain the market conditions such that the price is maintained at a given level by controlling supply and demand...
. This fine was in addition to a R45 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 taxAn income tax is a tax levied on the income of individuals or businesses . Various income tax systems exist, with varying degrees of tax incidence. Income taxation can be progressive, proportional, or regressive. When the tax is levied on the income of companies, it is often called a corporate...
, fuel taxes, VAT, import duties and other government levies then were paid over to a state-owned competitor.
Operating highlights
South African Airways Operating Highlights
| Year ended |
Revenue
(RThe rand is the currency of South Africa. It takes its name from the Witwatersrand , the ridge upon which Johannesburg is built and where most of South Africa's gold deposits were found. The rand has the symbol "R" and is subdivided into 100 cents, symbol "c"...
million) |
Operating profit
(R million) |
Profit before
taxation
(R million) |
Profit attributable
to equity holders
(R million) |
EPS Earnings per share is the amount of earnings per each outstanding share of a company's stock.In the United States, the Financial Accounting Standards Board requires companies' income statements to report EPS for each of the major categories of the income statement: continuing operations,...
after tax
– diluted (cents) |
Load factor (%) |
RPK Revenue passenger miles and Revenue passenger kilometers are measures of traffic for an airline flight, bus, or train calculated by multiplying the number of revenue-paying passengers aboard the vehicle by the distance traveled...
(million) |
| 31 March 2002 |
14,203 |
|
N/A |
|
71 |
67 |
20,466 |
| 31 March 2003 |
17,342 |
|
N/A |
|
−191 |
68 |
21,769 |
| 31 March 2004 |
16,339 |
|
N/A |
|
−166 |
67 |
21,769 |
| 31 March 2005 |
17,186 |
654 |
645 |
645 |
28 |
70 |
21,769 |
| 31 March 2006 |
19,423 |
414 |
312 |
301 |
8 |
70 |
21,769 |
| 31 March 2007 |
20,609 |
† |
† |
† |
−12 |
75 |
25,381 |
| 31 March 2008 |
22,257 |
† |
† |
† |
– |
75 |
24,619 |
| 31 March 2009 |
26,435 |
|
|
|
|
73 |
21,935 |
- † From 31 March 2006, SAA comes under government control
Destinations
South African Airways flies to 30 international destinations in 26 countries in Africa, Europe, the Americas, Asia and AustralasiaAustralasia is a region of Oceania comprising Australia, New Zealand, the island of New Guinea, and neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term was coined by Charles de Brosses in Histoire des navigations aux terres australes...
. SAA, along with Air FranceAir France , stylised as AIRFRANCE, is the French flag carrier headquartered in Tremblay-en-France, , and is one of the world's largest airlines. It is a subsidiary of the Air France-KLM Group and a founding member of the SkyTeam global airline alliance...
, British AirwaysBritish Airways is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom, based in Waterside, near its main hub at London Heathrow Airport. British Airways is the largest airline in the UK based on fleet size, international flights and international destinations...
, Delta Air LinesDelta Air Lines, Inc. is a major airline based in the United States and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The airline operates an extensive domestic and international network serving all continents except Antarctica. Delta and its subsidiaries operate over 4,000 flights every day...
, Emirates, Korean AirKorean Air Lines Co., Ltd. , operating as Korean Air, is both the flag carrier and the largest airline of South Korea, with global headquarters located in Seoul, South Korea. Korean Air's international passenger division and related subsidiary cargo division together serve 130 cities in 45...
, Malaysia AirlinesMalaysian Airline System Berhad , DBA Malaysia Airlines , is the government-owned flag carrier of Malaysia. Malaysia Airlines operates flights from its home base, Kuala Lumpur International Airport, and its eastern hub in Kota Kinabalu. It has its headquarters on the grounds of Sultan Abdul Aziz...
, QantasQantas Airways Limited is the flag carrier of Australia. The name was originally "QANTAS", an initialism for "Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services". Nicknamed "The Flying Kangaroo", the airline is based in Sydney, with its main hub at Sydney Airport...
, Qatar AirwaysQatar Airways Company Q.C.S.C. , operating as Qatar Airways, is the flag carrier of Qatar. Headquartered in the Qatar Airways Tower in Doha, it operates a hub-and-spoke network, linking over 100 international destinations from its base in Doha, using a fleet of over 100 aircraft...
, Singapore AirlinesSingapore Airlines Limited is the flag carrier airline of Singapore. Singapore Airlines operates a hub at Changi Airport and has a strong presence in the Southeast Asia, East Asia, South Asia, and "Kangaroo Route" markets...
(from 27 March 2011) and United AirlinesUnited Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees (which includes the entire holding company United Continental...
, is one of the few carriers to have services to all six inhabited continents. The airline has a strong presence in Southern Africa, while domestically it serves five cities.
In December 2010, the airline announced that it would introduce 6 more routes in Africa including routes to Cotonou-Demographics:*1979: 320,348 *1992: 536,827 *2002: 665,100 *2005: 690,584 The main languages spoken in Cotonou include the Fon language, Aja language, Yoruba language and French.-Transport:...
, Benin; AbujaAbuja is the capital city of Nigeria. It is located in the centre of Nigeria, within the Federal Capital Territory . Abuja is a planned city, and was built mainly in the 1980s. It officially became Nigeria's capital on 12 December 1991, replacing Lagos...
, Nigeria; MadagascarThe Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
; Republic of Congo; CameroonCameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
and BurundiBurundi , officially the Republic of Burundi , is a landlocked country in the Great Lakes region of Eastern Africa bordered by Rwanda to the north, Tanzania to the east and south, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west. Its capital is Bujumbura...
. SAA will also start flights to Beijing, China on 31 January 2012 as part of its international route expansion.
Codeshare agreements
Besides fellow Star AllianceStar Alliance is the world's first and largest airline alliance, headquartered in Frankfurt am Main, Germany . The alliance was founded in 1997 by five of the world's leading airlines: Air Canada, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Thai Airways International and United Airlines...
members, South African Airways has codeshare agreements with the following airlines:
- Air Mauritius
Air Mauritius Limited, stylised as Air Mauritius, is the flag carrier of Mauritius. The airline is headquartered at the Air Mauritius Centre in Port Louis, Mauritius. Its main base is Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport...
- Airlink
Airlink is an airline based in Johannesburg, South Africa. It is privately owned and has developed into South Africa's first feeder network aimed at linking the smaller towns, regional centers and hubs throughout South Africa...
- El Al
El Al Israel Airlines Ltd , trading as El Al , is the flag carrier of Israel. It operates scheduled domestic and international services and cargo flights to Europe, North America, Africa and the Far East from its main base in Ben Gurion International Airport...
- Emirates
- Ethiopian Airlines
Ethiopian Airlines , formerly Ethiopian Air Lines, often referred to as simply Ethiopian, is an airline headquartered on the grounds of Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It serves as the country's flag carrier, and is wholly owned by the Government of Ethiopia...
(Star AllianceStar Alliance is the world's first and largest airline alliance, headquartered in Frankfurt am Main, Germany . The alliance was founded in 1997 by five of the world's leading airlines: Air Canada, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Thai Airways International and United Airlines...
– Future)
- JetBlue Airways
JetBlue Airways Corporation is an American low-cost airline. The company is headquartered in the Forest Hills neighborhood of the New York City borough of Queens. Its main base is John F. Kennedy International Airport, also in Queens....
|
LAM Mozambique Airlines Linhas Aéreas de Moçambique, Ltd., operating as LAMMozambique Airlines , is the flag carrier of Mozambique. Based in Maputo, it operates scheduled services in southern Africa and Europe under the IATA airline code TM and the ICAO airline code LAM, its callsign being MOZAMBIQUE.The carrier is a...
(South African ExpressSouth African Express Airways is an airline based in South Africa. Although the airline is operationally independent of South African Airways, its flights are incorporated within the strategic alliance with Airlink and South African Airways. South African Express started operations on 24 April 1994...
flights between Maputo and Cape Town)
Malaysia AirlinesMalaysian Airline System Berhad , DBA Malaysia Airlines , is the government-owned flag carrier of Malaysia. Malaysia Airlines operates flights from its home base, Kuala Lumpur International Airport, and its eastern hub in Kota Kinabalu. It has its headquarters on the grounds of Sultan Abdul Aziz...
(OneworldOneworld , branded as oneworld, is one of the world's three largest global airline alliances with its central management team, oneworld Management Company, based in New York City, New York, USA. Oneworld was founded in 1999 by American Airlines, British Airways, Canadian Airlines, Cathay Pacific...
– Future)
MangoMango is a South African low-cost airline. It operates domestic scheduled budget services. Its main base is OR Tambo International Airport near Johannesburg...
(subsidiary)
QantasQantas Airways Limited is the flag carrier of Australia. The name was originally "QANTAS", an initialism for "Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services". Nicknamed "The Flying Kangaroo", the airline is based in Sydney, with its main hub at Sydney Airport...
(OneworldOneworld , branded as oneworld, is one of the world's three largest global airline alliances with its central management team, oneworld Management Company, based in New York City, New York, USA. Oneworld was founded in 1999 by American Airlines, British Airways, Canadian Airlines, Cathay Pacific...
)
Saudi Arabian AirlinesSaudi Arabian Airlines is the flag carrier airline of Saudi Arabia, based in Jeddah. It operates domestic and international scheduled flights to over 90 destinations in the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Europe and North America...
(SkyTeamSkyTeam, branded as SKYTEAM, is an airline alliance with its centralised management team, SkyTeam Central, based at the World Trade Center Schiphol Airport on the grounds of Amsterdam Airport Schiphol in Haarlemmermeer, Netherlands...
– Future)
Virgin Atlantic AirwaysVirgin Atlantic Airways Limited is a British airline owned by Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group and Singapore Airlines...
|
Fleet
As of September 2011, SAA's fleet consists of the following aircraft with an average age of 9.4 years:
South African Airways fleet
| Aircraft |
Total |
Orders |
Passengers |
Notes |
| C |
Y |
Total |
| Airbus A319 |
11 |
— |
25 |
95 |
120 |
|
| Airbus A320-200 |
— |
10 |
TBA |
Deliveries from 2013 |
| Airbus A321-200 |
— |
10 |
TBA |
Deliveries from 2013 |
| Airbus A330-200 |
5 |
1 |
36 |
186 |
222 |
Deliveries from 2011 |
| Airbus A340-200 |
5 |
— |
24 |
226 |
250 |
To be withdrawn from 2011 |
| Airbus A340-300 |
8 |
— |
38 |
215 |
253 |
|
| Airbus A340-600 |
9 |
— |
42 |
275 |
317 |
ZS-SNC painted in Star AllianceStar Alliance is the world's first and largest airline alliance, headquartered in Frankfurt am Main, Germany . The alliance was founded in 1997 by five of the world's leading airlines: Air Canada, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Thai Airways International and United Airlines...
liveryAircraft livery is a paint scheme applied to an aircraft, generally to fuselage, wings, empennage , or jet engines. Most airlines have a standard paint scheme for their aircraft fleet, usually prominently displaying the airline logo or name. From time to time special liveries are introduced, for...
|
Boeing 737–800The Boeing 737 Next Generation, commonly abbreviated as Boeing 737NG, is the name given to the -600/-700/-800/-900 series of the Boeing 737 after the introduction of the -300/-400/-500 Classic series. They are short- to medium-range, narrow-body jet airliners...
|
15 |
— |
32 |
125 |
157 |
ZS-SJV painted in Star Alliance livery |
| South African Airways Cargo Fleet |
| Boeing 737–200 |
1 |
— |
N/A |
|
Boeing 737–300The Boeing 737 Classic is the name given to the -300/-400/-500 series of the Boeing 737 following the introduction of the -600/-700/-800/-900 series. They are short- to medium- range, narrow-body jet airliners produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The Classic series was introduced as the 'new...
|
2 |
— |
N/A |
|
| Total |
56 |
21 |
|
- SAA's A340-300 fleet was expanded from the original 6 aircraft to the current 8. The delivery dates of aircraft 7 & 8 were:
- The seventh A340-300 (ZS-SXG) on 27 October 2010 – bought from Iberia.
- The eighth A340-300 (ZS-SXH) on 30 November 2010 – bought from Iberia.
- The Boeing 737–800 fleet has been reduced to 15 aircraft. The other 6 of the original 21 aircraft are operating with Mango or have been returned to their leasing companies.
- SAA is trying to have the A320s & A321s currently on order delivered ahead of schedule – possibly from early 2012.
- SAA took delivery of its Airbus A330-200s on the following days:
- First Airbus A330 on 14 February 2011 (ZS-SXZ)
- Second Airbus A330 on 23 March 2011 (ZS-SXY)
- Third Airbus A330 on 6 May 2011 (ZS-SXX)
- Fourth Airbus A330 on 1 July 2011 (ZS-SXW)
Fleet history
Over the years, South African Airways operated the following aircraft types:
South African Airways past fleet
| Aircraft |
Total |
Introduced |
Retired |
Airbus A300The Airbus A300 is a short- to medium-range widebody jet airliner. Launched in 1972 as the world's first twin-engined widebody, it was the first product of Airbus Industrie, a consortium of European aerospace companies, wholly owned today by EADS...
|
9 |
1976 |
2001 |
| Airbus A319 The Airbus A320 family is a family of short- to medium-range, narrow-body, commercial passenger jet airliners manufactured by Airbus Industrie.Airbus was originally a consortium of European aerospace companies, and is now fully owned by EADS. Airbus's name has been Airbus SAS since 2001...
|
|
2004 |
— |
| Airbus A320 The Airbus A320 family is a family of short- to medium-range, narrow-body, commercial passenger jet airliners manufactured by Airbus Industrie.Airbus was originally a consortium of European aerospace companies, and is now fully owned by EADS. Airbus's name has been Airbus SAS since 2001...
|
7 |
1991 |
2002 |
| Airbus A330-200 |
5
2 |
2002 |
— |
Airbus A340-200The Airbus A340 is a long-range four-engine wide-body commercial passenger jet airliner. Developed by Airbus Industrie,A consortium of European aerospace companies, Airbus is now fully owned by EADS and since 2001 has been known as Airbus SAS. a consortium of European aerospace companies, which is...
|
|
2003 |
— |
| Airbus A340-300 |
|
2004 |
— |
| Airbus A340-600 |
|
2002 |
— |
Boeing 737–800The Boeing 737 Next Generation, commonly abbreviated as Boeing 737NG, is the name given to the -600/-700/-800/-900 series of the Boeing 737 after the introduction of the -300/-400/-500 Classic series. They are short- to medium-range, narrow-body jet airliners...
|
|
2002 |
— |
Boeing 747SPThe Boeing 747SP is a modified version of the Boeing 747 jet airliner which was designed for ultra-long-range flights. The SP stands for "Special Performance". Compared with its predecessor, the 747-100, the 747SP retains its wide-body, four-engine layout, along with its double-deck design, but...
|
6 |
1976 |
2002 |
| Boeing 747–200 The Boeing 747 is a wide-body commercial airliner and cargo transport, often referred to by its original nickname, Jumbo Jet, or Queen of the Skies. It is among the world's most recognizable aircraft, and was the first wide-body ever produced...
|
8 |
1971 |
2002 |
| Boeing 747–300 The Boeing 747 is a wide-body commercial airliner and cargo transport, often referred to by its original nickname, Jumbo Jet, or Queen of the Skies. It is among the world's most recognizable aircraft, and was the first wide-body ever produced...
|
6 |
1983 |
2003 |
Boeing 747-400The Boeing 747-400 is a major development and the best-selling model of the Boeing 747 family of jet airliners. While retaining the four-engine wide-body layout of its predecessors, the 747-400 embodies numerous technological and structural changes to produce a more efficient airframe...
|
8 |
1991 |
2010 |
Boeing 767–200The Boeing 767 is a mid-size, wide-body twin-engine jet airliner built by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. It was the manufacturer's first wide-body twinjet and its first airliner with a two-crew glass cockpit. The aircraft features two turbofan engines, a supercritical wing, and a conventional tail...
|
3 |
1993 |
2004 |
| Boeing 737–200 The Boeing 737 is a short- to medium-range, twin-engine narrow-body jet airliner. Originally developed as a shorter, lower-cost twin-engine airliner derived from Boeing's 707 and 727, the 737 has developed into a family of nine passenger models with a capacity of 85 to 215 passengers...
|
27 |
1968 |
2007 |
Voyager
Voyager is the frequent-flyer program of South African Airways. Apart from South African Airlink, South African Express Airways and Swaziland Airlink, who have an alliance with SAA, the program also partners 32 other airlines, along with many more business. Voyager consists of five tier statuses – Blue, Silver, Gold, Platinum and Lifetime Platinum. To reach a higher tier, members must fly on selected flights to allocate "Tier Miles", in order to progress. This is different from "Base Miles", which members can only use to win receive awards.
Accidents
- 16 June 1937: A Junkers Ju 52
The Junkers Ju 52 was a German transport aircraft manufactured from 1932 to 1945. It saw both civilian and military service during the 1930s and 1940s. In a civilian role, it flew with over 12 air carriers including Swissair and Deutsche Luft Hansa as an airliner and freight hauler...
(registration ZS-AKY) crashed on take-off at Port Elizabeth AirportPort Elizabeth Airport , formerly H. F. Verwoerd Airport, is an airport situated in Port Elizabeth, 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.
- 16 October 1937: A Junkers W34 fi (registration ZS-AEC), named Sir George Grey
George Grey may refer to:*Sir George Grey, 2nd Baronet , British politician*George Grey, 2nd Earl of Kent *Sir George Grey , Governor of Cape Colony, South Australia and New Zealand...
, crashed during a mail flight. The aeroplane was damaged beyond repair.
- 28 March 1941: A Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar (registration ZS-AST) Elands Bay
Elands Bay is a town in South Africa, situated in the Western Cape Province, on the Atlantic Ocean, at . The town is located about 220 kilometres north from Cape Town...
, South Africa. All aboard were killed on impact and in the post crash fire.
- 5 January 1948: A Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar (registration ZS-ASW), overran the runway at Palmietfontein after landing deep. The undercarriage
The undercarriage or landing gear in aviation, is the structure that supports an aircraft on the ground and allows it to taxi, takeoff and land...
was ripped-off and the hull damaged beyond repair. There were light injuries to passengers but no fatalities.
- 15 October 1951: A Douglas DC-3
The Douglas DC-3 is an American fixed-wing propeller-driven aircraft whose speed and range revolutionized air transport in the 1930s and 1940s. Its lasting impact on the airline industry and World War II makes it one of the most significant transport aircraft ever made...
, (registration ZS-AVJ) named Pardeberg, flew into Mount Ingeli near Kokstad, Western KwaZulu/Natal while flying in IMC conditions. The aircraft was flying from Port Elizabeth to Durban.South Africa A major contributing factor determined by the board of inquiry was the unserviceability of ground based radio navigational aids along the route. Seventeen people were killed..
- 15 September 1952: A Douglas DC-3
The Douglas DC-3 is an American fixed-wing propeller-driven aircraft whose speed and range revolutionized air transport in the 1930s and 1940s. Its lasting impact on the airline industry and World War II makes it one of the most significant transport aircraft ever made...
, (registration ZS-AVI) was damaged beyond repair while attempting to land at an unlit country airport at Carolina South Africa after the crew became lost on a flight to Palmietfontein airfield, JohannesburgJohannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
from Livingstone, ZambiaZambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....
. After attempting to hold for thunderstorms to clear near their destination the crew initiated a landing when their fuel ran low. The altitude of the airfield was mis-judged and the aircraft hit a rocky outcrop on final approach to the runway. No passengers or crew were killed or injured.
- 8 April 1954: A de Havilland Comet
The de Havilland DH 106 Comet was the world's first commercial jet airliner to reach production. Developed and manufactured by de Havilland at the Hatfield, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom headquarters, it first flew in 1949 and was a landmark in aeronautical design...
, (registration G-ALYY, aka 'Yoke Yoke') flight SA201South African Airways Flight 201, a de Havilland Comet 1, took off at 18:32 UTC from Ciampino Airport in Rome, Italy en route to Cairo, Egypt, on the second stage of its flight from London to Johannesburg, South Africa. The flight crashed, killing all aboard at around 19:07 UTC on 8 April 1954...
, departed Rome for CairoCairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
and JohannesburgJohannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
. The aircraft crashed off the coast of Italy killing all 21 people onboard. Along with BOAC Flight 781On 10 January 1954, British Overseas Airways Corporation Flight 781 a de Havilland DH.106 Comet 1 registered G-ALYP, 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. The de Havilland CometThe de Havilland DH 106 Comet was the world's first commercial jet airliner to reach production. Developed and manufactured by de Havilland at the Hatfield, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom headquarters, it first flew in 1949 and was a landmark in aeronautical design...
was leased from British Overseas Airways CorporationThe British Overseas Airways Corporation was the British state airline from 1939 until 1946 and the long-haul British state airline from 1946 to 1974. The company started life with a merger between Imperial Airways Ltd. and British Airways Ltd...
.
- 29 October 1960: Flight SA218, a Boeing 707
The Boeing 707 is a four-engine narrow-body commercial passenger jet airliner developed by Boeing in the early 1950s. Its name is most commonly pronounced as "Seven Oh Seven". The first airline to operate the 707 was Pan American World Airways, inaugurating the type's first commercial flight on...
-344A (registration ZS-CKC), executed a wheels-up landing at NairobiNairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area also forms the Nairobi County. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, which translates to "the place of cool waters". However, it is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun" and is...
airport after damaging the undercarriage during an impact with the ground on its initial approach. No passengers or crew were killed or injured but the aircraft remained out of operation for many months until repaired and re-introduced to service.
- 6 March 1962: Flight SA512, a Douglas DC-3
The Douglas DC-3 is an American fixed-wing propeller-driven aircraft whose speed and range revolutionized air transport in the 1930s and 1940s. Its lasting impact on the airline industry and World War II makes it one of the most significant transport aircraft ever made...
(registration ZS-DJC), crashed into a mountainside in the vicinity of Seymour, Eastern CapeThe Eastern Cape is a province of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, but its two largest cities are Port Elizabeth and East London. It was formed in 1994 out of the "independent" Xhosa homelands of Transkei and Ciskei, together with the eastern portion of the Cape Province...
, South Africa, after the pilot insisted on conducting flight as visual flight rulesVisual flight rules are a set of regulations which allow a pilot to operate an aircraft in weather conditions generally clear enough to allow the pilot to see where the aircraft is going. Specifically, the weather must be better than basic VFR weather minimums, as specified in the rules of the...
(VFR) while flying below low cloud above rising ground. The pilot and first officer were killed but passengers and cabin staff survived.
- 30 June 1962: A Douglas DC-4
The Douglas DC-4 is a four-engined propeller-driven airliner developed by the Douglas Aircraft Company. It served during World War II, in the Berlin Airlift and into the 1960s in a military role...
(registration ZS-BMH) was involved in a mid-air collision with a milititary Harvard training aircraft near DurbanDurban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...
airport. The military aircraft crashed but the crew managed to land the airliner without injury to passengers or crew despite losing a large part of the veritcal stabiliser. The aircraft is the last DC-4 manufactured and was repaired and returned to service. It is currently part of the SAA museum historical flight.
- 13 March 1967: Flight SA406
South African Airways Flight 406 was a scheduled passenger flight on 13 March 1967 that crashed into the sea on approach to East London, South Africa. All 25 passengers and crew on board were killed. The pilot of the plane suffered a heart attack while on approach and the co-pilot was unable to...
, a Vickers ViscountThe Vickers Viscount was a British medium-range turboprop airliner first flown in 1948 by Vickers-Armstrongs, making it the first such aircraft to enter service in the world...
818, (registration ZS-CVA) christened Rietbok, crashed into the sea 1.5 miles (2.4 km) offshore while on final approach during bad weather in the vicinity of East London, Eastern CapeThe Eastern Cape is a province of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, but its two largest cities are Port Elizabeth and East London. It was formed in 1994 out of the "independent" Xhosa homelands of Transkei and Ciskei, together with the eastern portion of the Cape Province...
, South Africa. No cause was found by investigators due to the inability to retrieve or photo map wreckage. All aboard were killed.
- 20 April 1968: Flight SA228
South African Airways Flight 228 was a scheduled flight from Jan Smuts International Airport in Johannesburg, South Africa to London Heathrow International Airport that flew into the ground soon after take-off after a scheduled stopover in Windhoek, South West Africa . Five passengers survived...
, a six-week old Boeing 707-300CThe Boeing 707 is a four-engine narrow-body commercial passenger jet airliner developed by Boeing in the early 1950s. Its name is most commonly pronounced as "Seven Oh Seven". The first airline to operate the 707 was Pan American World Airways, inaugurating the type's first commercial flight on...
, named "Pretoria" registration ZS-EUW, was lost near WindhoekWindhoek is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Namibia. It is located in central Namibia in the Khomas Highland plateau area, at around above sea level. The 2001 census determined Windhoek's population was 233,529...
, South West AfricaSouth-West Africa was the name that was used for the modern day Republic of Namibia during the earlier eras when the territory was controlled by the German Empire and later by South Africa....
(now NamibiaNamibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...
). 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 feet (182.9 m) above ground level. The subsequent descent went undetected by the crew, leading to impact with the ground. Fatalities totalled 123.
- 28 November 1987: Flight SA295
South African Airways Flight 295 was a commercial flight that suffered a catastrophic in-flight fire in the cargo area and crashed into the Indian Ocean east of Mauritius on 28 November 1987, killing everyone on board...
, a Boeing 747-200B Combi, registration ZS-SASThe Boeing 747 is a wide-body commercial airliner and cargo transport, often referred to by its original nickname, Jumbo Jet, or Queen of the Skies. It is among the world's most recognizable aircraft, and was the first wide-body ever produced...
, named Helderberg, crashed over the Indian Ocean en-route from TaipeiTaipei City is the capital of the Republic of China and the central city of the largest metropolitan area of Taiwan. Situated at the northern tip of the island, Taipei is located on the Tamsui River, and is about 25 km southwest of Keelung, its port on the Pacific Ocean...
, Taiwan to JohannesburgJohannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
via MauritiusMauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...
, after a fire in the main cargo hold. All 159 people on board were killed.
Incidents
- The only successful hijacking of a SAA flight took place on 24 May 1972 when a Boeing 727 (ZS-SBE) was hijacked en route from Salisbury in Rhodesia
Rhodesia , officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state located in southern Africa that existed between 1965 and 1979 following its Unilateral Declaration of Independence from the United Kingdom on 11 November 1965...
(now known as HarareHarare before 1982 known as Salisbury) is the largest city and 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. It is Zimbabwe's largest city and its...
, Zimbabwe) to Johannesburg. Two Lebanese, Kamil and Yagi, took control of the aircraft 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 SeychellesSeychelles , officially the Republic of Seychelles , is an island country spanning an archipelago of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean, some east of mainland Africa, northeast of the island of Madagascar....
, while 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 emergency escape rope. By the time the hijackers realised this, the captain, one passenger, and a flight steward, Dirk Nel, remained on the aircraft. The two hijackers started fighting with each other for possession 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 possession 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
The Boeing 737 Next Generation, commonly abbreviated as Boeing 737NG, is the name given to the -600/-700/-800/-900 series of the Boeing 737 after the introduction of the -300/-400/-500 Classic series. They are short- to medium-range, narrow-body jet airliners...
underwent an attempted hijacking by a 21-year-old ZimbabweZimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
an, who took a flight attendantFlight attendants or cabin crew are members of an aircrew employed by airlines primarily to ensure the safety and comfort of passengers aboard commercial flights, on select business jet aircraft, and on some military aircraft.-History:The role of a flight attendant derives from that of similar...
hostage in an attempt to enter the aircraft's cockpit and divert the plane to MaputoMaputo, also known as Lourenço Marques, is the capital and largest city of Mozambique. It is known as the City of Acacias in reference to acacia trees commonly found along its avenues and the Pearl of the Indian Ocean. It was famous for the inscription "This is Portugal" on the walkway of its...
, Mozambique. He was subdued before entering the cockpit on the flight en-route from Cape TownCape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
to JohannesburgJohannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial 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 returned to Cape Town where a police task force stormed the aircraft and arrested the suspect.
See also
- South African Airlink
- Congo Express
Congo Express is a regional airline in the Democratic Republic of the Congo that commenced operations on 1 February 2010 on two routes flying out of Kinshasa. It currently flies only one route, between Kinshasa and Lubumbashi. It is a partnership between BizAfrika Congo, a Congolese company, and...
- List of companies of South Africa
- Transport in South Africa
-Roads:Approximately ten thousand people die on roads in South Africa yearly.The national speed limit is between 40 or 80 km/h in residential areas and 120 km/h on national roads/freeways/motorways....
- Wikipedia listing of airports in South Africa
Footnotes
References
Bibliography
External links