ALMOST BROKE SOUTH AFRICAN AIRWAYS LAUNCHES FLIGHTS TO THE #MALDIVES
(Posted 09th December 2018)
South African Airways last week launched a once per week flight from Johannesburg via Mauritius to Male in the Maldives, a destination over 7.000 South African tourists visited last year. The flight is being operated by an Airbus A330-200 for now though there are plans to launch a nonstop flight using an Airbus A340 on the route.
The launch notably coincided with a request to the South African government for yet another bailout just a month after the airline received some US Dollars 358 million, or a massive 5 billion Rand in local currency.
With the money apparently already spent on paying suppliers and other recurrent expenditure are figures floated of South African Airways needing a further 1.2 billion US Dollars before a full turnaround can be accomplished and there is open speculation over the future of the airline, if no strategic investor with very deep pockets will come forth.
The dire situation of South African Airways, a key brand in African Aviation with a huge domestic market, should serve as a warning for countries keen to establish their own national airlines at a time when upstarts will have existing airlines fighting tooth and nail to retain their market share and deny newcomers an entry, lest they are willing and capable to sustain start up losses for a prolonged period of time.
