SAA reveals bold Africa expansion plans

SOUTH AFRICAN Airways
has put its money where its
mouth is and announced
bold expansion plans on its
Africa route network.
Last Wednesday saw the
launch of its Libreville, Gabon
service operating twice a
week using an Airbus A319.
The airline has also
bolstered its existing network
with additional frequencies
and larger aircraft.
And while the
restructuring is largely
passenger-driven, cargo is
an increasingly relevant part
of the mix, general manager
commercial Rushj Lehutso
told FTW last week.
SAA will add capacity on
10 of its current 19 African
destinations with the 737-
800, which will be deployed
on some of these routes,
offering more cargo capacity
than existing aircraft, he said.
Capacity will be added
to Entebbe, Nairobi, Dar Es
Salaam, Mauritius, Blantyre,
Lilongwe, Gaborone,
Windhoek, Luanda, Kinshasa,
Libreville and Abidjan.
Later in the year the
Gabon route will include a
flight to Abidjan, operating
Johannesburg – Libreville
- Abidjan while the route
from Johannesburg to Accra
will also include Abidjan
operating Johannesburg
– Abidjan – Accra –
Johannesburg.
The airline will also
realign its New York flights,
operating four flights via
Accra and three via Dakar.
Of the 34 routes
operated by the airline,
Africa is the best performing
region, Lehutso said,
followed by domestic and
international.
The restructuring is not
only about cost-cutting but
about the growth of the
airline, he added.