SAA PLANS to expand further into Africa, solidifying its position in a market seeing increased foreign competition.
Transnet director: SAA, Zukile Nomvete, said recently the intra-African routes were among the most profitable in the airline's portfolio. He said African passengers did not make use of apex fair discounts as much as travellers on other routes did.
Africans also made substantial purchases of locally manufactured goods which were then flown back home. SAA was committed to developing this market and would expand its network north of the Limpopo to keep ahead of growing competition from the likes of BA, KLM and Malaysian Airlines.
The nurturing of the African market is part of SAA's drive for profitability ahead of privatisation next year. In April SAA began flying to Japan and a new service to Copenhagen was launched earlier this month.
SAA is also fighting applications by Singapore Airlines to stopover in Johannesburg on its way to South America. It has blocked a similar application from Malaysian Airlines to increase its twice-weekly stopover in Johannesburg en route to South America.
SAA viewed these routes as important as competition was less intensive than on the heavily serviced Johannesburg-London route.
