South African Airways celebrates 83 years of air transport services

JOHANNESBURG, 5 February 2017. This month South African Airways (SAA), which was formed in February 1934, marks 83 years of service to the South African people and to the world. One of the oldest airlines in existence, it has received numerous awards throughout the course of its history and has, in many instances, been a trailblazer.

When it was launched, SAA had just forty members of staff and a handful of aircraft, and serviced only 3 000 passengers in its first year of operation. More than eight decades later, the SAA Group  has evolved beyond all recognition and now transports more than 9 million passengers and 114 000 tonnes of freight per year.

The airline has evolved over the years and today there are many reasons that make it our national pride and a world class airline.

SAA connects South Africa to all of its major trade and tourism partners and, in doing so, supports 34 000 jobs within the country and contributes R9,2 billion – approximately 0.3% of the national GDP every year.

“A customer-centric focus has guided us throughout all our years of operation. Our employees understand the catalytic role that air travel plays in people’s lives and businesses. It is no longer a luxury reserved for a privileged few, but has become an essential service,” says SAA spokesperson, Tlali Tlali.

“We are the longest serving network carrier in Africa with a proven track record. Our route network gives more people greater access to air travel than ever before, and the world-class customer experience we offer has ensured that we remain an airline of choice for so many travellers. And our affiliation with Star Alliance, the world’s largest international airline network, provides our customers with access to a total of 1 300 airports in 190 countries.”

With a fleet of 57 aircraft, SAA is also one of the leading carriers in Africa, serving 74 destinations in partnership with SA Express, Airlink and SAA’s low-cost carrier, Mango. The partnership serves the entire continent and nine intercontinental routes from its Johannesburg hub. This caters for more than half of the African Union states - to 27 destinations in 23 countries in Africa.

With such an impressive history, the future holds much promise and many opportunities for growth and innovation. SAA is a globally ranked 4-star airline and continues to deliver excellent products and service. The airline wins numerous awards every year and boasts being awarded the Best Airline in Africa for 14 consecutive years.

“We remain committed to fully ensuring the airline’s commercial future and growing into a financially sustainable airline,” says Tlali.

“SAA has and will continue to play a vital role as a catalyst for growth and development across the continent by providing seamless passenger and cargo transport services. We believe that rapid liberalisation of the skies will improve intra-Africa air connectivity, and will ensure that SAA and its peers continue with the pioneering task of Bringing the world to Africa and taking Africa to the world.”

SAA is well positioned to fill the intra-Africa air connectivity gap, and growth on the African continent has been set as a key objective in the airline’s long-term turnaround strategy. With the addition of three new A330-300 aircraft to the fleet, the airline is set to continue its established tradition of promoting tourism, facilitating trade and enabling investment.
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Some milestones and highlights: 1934-2017

Eighty years of service across the SADC region

•    In 1937, SAA began operating its first regional service, with Lusaka as the destination. The route featured stops at Pietersburg (now Polokwane), Bulawayo and Livingstone. In the same year, the service was extended to Kisumu on Lake Victoria. The next regional service to be introduced was to Lourenço Marques (now Maputo), and another service was added between Johannesburg and Palapye and Maun in Botswana. Windhoek was also introduced as a destination. Shortly before the Second World War this service was extended up to Luanda in Angola.

Seven decades of Bringing the world to Africa and taking Africa to the world

•    SAA’s first intercontinental service started on 10 November 1945. The route was from Palmietfontein via Nairobi, Khartoum, Cairo and Castel Benito to Hurn in Bournemouth (as Heathrow had not yet been built). The flight took three days to complete and overnight stops were made at Nairobi and Cairo. The flying time was between 33 and 34 hours.

•    South Africa was the destination of the world’s first passenger jet service, with a BOAC Comet 1 landing in Johannesburg on 3 May 1952. The journey from London had taken just under 24 hours to complete. Although the Comet had a high cruising speed, it did not have a good range and, as a result, time was lost due to having to refuel five times along the route. 

Global recognition for excellent service

•    Cabin crew were first introduced on SAA flights in September 1946. At first they only flew on the internal services, but were later introduced on other services.
•    The in-flight films were introduced in June 1948; at first the film was shown on the direct service between Johannesburg and Cape Town and on certain Skymasters operating on the Springbok route. It was later decided to include this facility on all the Skymasters on the Springbok Service.
•    SAA’s on-time performance, with 88, 63% for FY2016 is testament to the efficiency of the airline and indicates how reliable it is. 
•    SAA has a long-standing tradition of excellence. It is ranked globally as a four-star airline and has been the winner of the Best Airline in Africa Award in the regional category of the Skytrax awards for 14 consecutive years, as well as the winner of the Best Airline Staff in Africa Award for four years.

Reducing the carbon footprint

•    In July 2015 SAA became the first African airline to operate a flight between Johannesburg and Cape Town using biofuel.

Some of SAA’s history, in the form artefacts, memorabilia and several historic aircraft, including the Boeing 747 that flew over Ellis Park Stadium during the 1995 Rugby World Cup, resides at the SAA Museum Complex at Rand Airport, Germiston. Visit www.saamuseum.co.za

For media information please contact:

SAA Spokesperson: Tlali Tlali (Mr)
Email:                            TlaliTlali@flysaa.com
Mobile:                          +27 82 333-3880
Office:                            +27 11 978-2298

General Enquiries

Switchboard:              +27 11 978-1000
Website:                         www.flysaa.com
Twitter:                          @flysaa
Facebook:                     www.facebook.com/flysaa