A South African Airways (SAA) aircraft preparing to land at OR Tambo International Airport. Picture: Simphiwe Mbokazi/System
In an announcement that signals a new era for South African Airways (SAA), the national carrier has kicked off the year with an expansion of its fleet.
In just two weeks, SAA has added two leased narrow-body Airbus A320 aircraft to its operations, bringing the fleet's total to an impressive 20 aircraft.
This growth marks a significant milestone for the airline, which only three years ago emerged from business rescue with a mere six planes.
The newly leased Airbus A320s, donned in SAA-branded livery, have arrived at Johannesburg from AerCap, a leading global aircraft leasing firm based in Ireland.
This partnership is a testament to SAA's improving credit status and the recovery of its financial standing with major international aviation finance institutions, proving the airline is slowly but surely regaining its prominence in the aviation sector.
“Since 2021, the team at SAA has worked strategically and consistently to grow the fleet and route network sustainably,” stated Professor John Lamola, the interim CEO of SAA.
He highlighted the airline's commitment to enhancing passenger capacity in both domestic and regional markets.
“These additional aircraft will enable SAA to continue fulfilling our promise to add seat capacity and thereby contribute to the affordability of passenger air travel,” he added.
#SAAnews | SAA Fleet expands to 20 aircraft ✈🙌🇿🇦
— SAA - South Africa (@flysaa) January 23, 2025
We have added two aircraft to our fleet in the last two weeks, bringing our total to 20 aircraft. We are also implementing a plan to add five more aircraft to our fleet during the 2025 calendar year.
Read more:… pic.twitter.com/KyGn4MSeKy
The airline's positive trajectory has resonated with the public, as users on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) expressed their support and enthusiasm for SAA's resurgence.
Wow well done 👏 to the management. SAA is back!!!
— Anold(I B Bak)Swaznegha (@GI_Irvin) January 23, 2025
One supporter, @GI_Irvin, celebrated the milestone by stating, “Wow well done 👏 to the management. SAA is back!!!”
Nice to see the oldest airline in Africa becoming great again
— Sonia Zwane (Mangethe) (@Sonia_zwa) January 23, 2025
Another user, @Sonia_zwa, remarked: “Nice to see the oldest airline in Africa becoming great again,” while @GiftMasina5 expressed hopes for a prospering SAA, congratulating the board, management and staff on their recent developments.
We welcome this latest developments and congratulations to SAA board and management and staff. We want to see a prospering SAA with many aircrafts and routes
— Gift Masina (@GiftMasina5) January 24, 2025
Looking ahead, SAA has additional plans to augment its fleet further with five more aircraft lined up for acquisition in 2025, signalling a determined strategy to bolster its market presence and enhance operational capacity.
As SAA continues to navigate its recovery journey, the focus remains on extending its route network and improving services to meet the growing demand for air travel.
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