South African Airways (SAA) has stopped ticket sales payments in Malawi due devaluation of the country’s currency, the Malawian kwacha.
From Wednesday last week the Reserve Bank of Malawi devalued the kwacha by 44% against the US dollar.
SAA’s response is to impose the ban, but payments can be made in South African rands so flights to Malawi will continue, SAA said in a statement.
SAA chief executive officer, Professor John Lamola, said the decision was a risk management strategy in response to Malawi’s current economic conditions.
“This should not be interpreted as a step back from the airline’s commitment to serving the people of Malawi and promoting trade links between South Africa and Malawi,” he added.
This news followed just after South African airline, Airlink, announced additional flights to Malawi from Johannesburg.
