SAA flying again from mid-June, but only between Joburg and Cape Town

SAA will be in operation from mid-June, providing domestic flights between Johannesburg and Cape Town.

This position will be periodically reviewed.

The airline said it was cancelling all planned scheduled flights on regional and international services until the end of June 2020 with immediate effect.

Philip Saunders, SAA’s chief commercial officer, said the decision has been taken as a result of the continuing global impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

Many restrictive rules and regulations still apply to civil aviation across the world. On this basis, it is not yet possible to resume operations beyond SA’s borders in a sustainable manner, he said.                          

“Everyone at SAA is looking forward to welcoming and serving our customers once again. Our operational preparedness is underlined by the significant role the airline has played in global repatriations to and from South Africa, and by our desire to serve the domestic market,” Saunders said.

The airline said all customers will be able to use their ticket’s full value as a credit for travel on any SAA service up to March 24 2022. 

SAA will also permit a free name change if any individual customer no longer wishes to travel. The airline said this represents an important part of SAA’s continued commitment to support its customers in these unprecedented times.