São Paulo is SAA's first intercontinental route since Covid

“We are overjoyed to announce São Paulo as our first international destination since the airline successfully emerged from an intensive business rescue process and Covid-19 lockdown. It also marks the return of our long-haul services out of Cape Town," said SAA interim CEO, Prof. John Lamola in a statement.

“Our decision to begin the relaunch of our long-haul service with São Paulo was taken based on a rigorous analysis of the viability of the route. Sustainability has been at the heart of SAA’s approach since our restart.”

SAA will fly to Guarulhos International Airport (GRU) in São Paulo four times a week – twice out of Cape Town (Tuesdays and Saturdays) and twice out of Johannesburg (Mondays and Thursdays).

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“We have created an effective schedule which is ideal for both business and leisure travellers and our schedule is fantastic for connecting traffic,” said SAA’s CCO Tebogo Tsimane.

São Paulo, Brazil’s most populous city with 21.1 million residents, is also the country’s financial centre and one of the biggest financial hubs in the world.

SAA has appointed Air Promotion Group (APG) as its general sales agent in Brazil.