The direct flight between São Paulo and Johannesburg will be discontinued by South African Airlines (SAA). In the midst of an administrative restructuring, the company announced that it will end its activities in Brazil as of February 29.
With the move, Latam will be the only company with direct flights from Brazil to the South African capital. The company is considering adding two additional weekly frequencies planned for the route, which is currently being operated five times a week.
51 years of tradition
SAA has been flying to Brazil since 1969 when it started flights to Rio de Janeiro which was going to New York. Since 1995 he has been flying to Guarulhos, which became his only route after the closure of flights to Rio at the end of the past decade.
With the decision from SAA, the only African airlines operating in Brazil are TAAG Angola, Ethiopian Airlines, Cabo Verde Airlines and Royal Air Maroc.
More changes
In addition to São Paulo, seven other international routes will be interrupted: Abidjan via Accra, Entebbe, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Luanda, Munich and Ndola. Flights to London, Perth, New York, Frankfurt and Washington will be kept.
In the domestic route network, SAA will continue to serve Cape Town, but on a reduced basis. All other domestic destinations, including Durban, East London and Port Elizabeth, will also cease to be operated by the company on February 29, 2020. Domestic routes operated by Mango – which is a subsidiary of SAA – will not be affected by the changes.
Restructuring
Considered one of the most important airlines on the African continent, South African Airways has been experiencing an unprecedented financial and administrative crisis and, therefore, has undergone major internal restructuring to reduce operating costs.
In a note, SAA said that the initiatives being taken now will strengthen the company’s business. “We are focused on our mandate to restore SAA’s commercial health and create an airline that South Africans are proud of,” the document said.+
The company guarantees that it will re-accommodate passengers on other flights or provide reimbursement for passengers who had already purchased tickets for the canceled route. More information at (11) 3065-5115 or by e-mail saabrazil@flysaa.com