SAA's interim CEO, Professor John Lamola, said the company was “overjoyed” to announce São Paulo as its first intercontinental destination since it emerged from business rescue and Covid-19 lockdowns. “It also marks [the] return of our long-haul service out of Cape Town,” he said.
Lamola added that the city had been chosen based on “a rigorous analysis of the viability of the route”.
São Paulo, Brazil’s most populous city, is also the country’s financial centre and one of the biggest financial hubs in the world. It is an ideal destination for business or leisure, offering a vast selection of museums, theatres and cinemas, as well as world-class nightclubs, bars and restaurants.
If all goes according to plan, however, SAA will not be the only airline offering direct flights between South Africa and Brazil. In May, Chilean-owned LatAm Airlines, one of the largest airline groups in Latin America, announced that it planned to resume flights between Johannesburg and Sao Paulo on September 4, after a three-year hiatus due to Covid-19.
LatAm's flights will operate three times a week, leaving Johannesburg on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. The return leaves Sao Paulo on Mondays, Thursdays and Sundays. Booking is open on its website, just be sure to search for the right inbound and outbound days.
SAA entered voluntary business rescue in December 2019 after several years of financial losses. In May 2020, the government announced that the airline would cease operations after 86 years. It returned to the skies in September 2021.
By March this year it was operating two domestic routes and 10 regional routes to destinations including Ghana, Malawi, Zimbabwe and Mauritius.
SAA to launch direct flights to Brazil, but it won't be the only one ...
Direct flights from Joburg and Cape Town to Sao Paulo mark the airline's first intercontinental route since it emerged from business rescue
Image: Supplied
South African Airways (SAA) is set to launch its first intercontinental route since it came back from the brink of liquidation, with flights to Sao Paulo, Brazil. Direct flights will operate out of Cape Town and Johannesburg.
Bookings are already open for flights, which start from Cape Town on October 31 and Johannesburg on November 6.
SAA will have four weekly flights to Guarulhos International Airport in São Paulo, two out of Cape Town (Tuesdays and Saturdays, departing at 12.55pm) and two leaving Johannesburg (Mondays and Thursdays, departing at 11.20am).
From Joburg, the flight time is just shy of 10 hours. From Cape Town, it's eight hours, 40 minutes.
On Instagram, SAA posted footage of cabin crew wearing samba headdresses, dancing up an aisle — a reference to one of Brazil’s most iconic events, the Rio Carnival — and waving the Brazilian flag.
SAA's interim CEO, Professor John Lamola, said the company was “overjoyed” to announce São Paulo as its first intercontinental destination since it emerged from business rescue and Covid-19 lockdowns. “It also marks [the] return of our long-haul service out of Cape Town,” he said.
Lamola added that the city had been chosen based on “a rigorous analysis of the viability of the route”.
São Paulo, Brazil’s most populous city, is also the country’s financial centre and one of the biggest financial hubs in the world. It is an ideal destination for business or leisure, offering a vast selection of museums, theatres and cinemas, as well as world-class nightclubs, bars and restaurants.
If all goes according to plan, however, SAA will not be the only airline offering direct flights between South Africa and Brazil. In May, Chilean-owned LatAm Airlines, one of the largest airline groups in Latin America, announced that it planned to resume flights between Johannesburg and Sao Paulo on September 4, after a three-year hiatus due to Covid-19.
LatAm's flights will operate three times a week, leaving Johannesburg on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. The return leaves Sao Paulo on Mondays, Thursdays and Sundays. Booking is open on its website, just be sure to search for the right inbound and outbound days.
SAA entered voluntary business rescue in December 2019 after several years of financial losses. In May 2020, the government announced that the airline would cease operations after 86 years. It returned to the skies in September 2021.
By March this year it was operating two domestic routes and 10 regional routes to destinations including Ghana, Malawi, Zimbabwe and Mauritius.
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