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Group Travel Account Manager South Africa

SAA returns to the skies with new intercontinental flight to São Paulo

26 Oct 2023

The South African government will formally restart South African Airways (SAA) in Cape Town on Thursday. The launch event, which will be co-hosted by DPE and SAA, will mark two years since SAA resumed operations, and it will also be used to announce the resumption of direct flights between South Africa and Brazil.

According to a news report by My Broadband, Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan stated that the relaunch is a significant achievement for the airline, which has faced challenges in recent years.

SAA was grounded for 16 months before undergoing business rescue and avoiding liquidation.

Source: Alan Wilson via Wikimedia Commons

According to the report, Gordhan said that the upcoming event marks a very significant step in the resurgence of South African Airways and that the government looks forward to the official relaunch of SAA, along with the introduction of its first intercontinental flight to São Paulo, Brazil.

SAA announced earlier this year that it will fly to São Paulo four times a week, with two flights departing from Cape Town and two from Johannesburg. SAA Interim CEO, Professor John Lamola, said that the airline decided to introduce the long-haul flight after careful analysis showed that it would be sustainable.

Government determined to see SAA grow

26 Sep 2022

Cape Town Etc reported that Professor John Lamola, the interim CEO of SAA, said that the airline decided to introduce the long-haul flight to São Paulo after carefully considering whether it would be sustainable. He said that the airline is excited to announce São Paulo as its first international destination since emerging from bankruptcy and the Covid-19 pandemic.

Return of long-haul services from Cape Town

Lamola added that SAA's decision to begin relaunching its long-haul service with São Paulo was based on rigorous analysis of the route's viability and that sustainability has been at the heart of SAA's approach since its restart,

The first SAA flight to São Paulo, Brazil is scheduled to depart from Cape Town next Tuesday, 31 October 2023. The first flight from Johannesburg will follow on 6 November 2023.