South African Airways, which recently resumed operations after months of being grounded, has made some changes to the destinations it flies to in Africa.
After reporting that South African Airways (SAA) had successfully resumed flights in September, the airline has announced changes to its routes in Africa.
Effective 01 December 2021, SAA will suspend daily return services to Maputo, Mozambique.
โWhen SAA resumed operations at the end of September, we committed to constantly monitor passenger volumes and revenue on all routes. Demand on this service has not met expectations and for the time being, this change is in line with our strategy of being a transparent management and fiscally responsible,โ commented Simon Newton-Smith, SAAโs interim executive for the airlineโs commercial operations.
Passengers with existing flight bookings will be catered for on a codeshare flight basis with Mozambiqueโs local carrier, Mozambique Airlines (LAM).
Positive developments
AS SAA rebuilds its operation, it is focusing its existing capacity on routes that are high-demand and lucrative. To this end, it restarted flights to Mauritius from 21 November 2021.
โFlights will initially operate twice weekly on Wednesdays and Sundays, departing Johannesburg OR Tambo International (ORTIA) at 09h45 with return flights departing Mauritius at 16h35,โ according to the airline.
In addition, from 12 December 2021, the airline will resume flights to Lagos, Nigeria three times a week.
โThis specific destination takes SAA into one of the biggest travel markets in Africa and weโre delighted that we are again able to resume operations, providing a link between Africaโs two biggest economiesโฆ Our intention is to continue to develop our route network driven by passenger demand and revenue potential. We are constantly evaluating opportunities, both locally, regionally and internationally,โ noted Thomas Kgokolo, interim CEO for SAA.
More information can be found on SAAโs newsroom portal.
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