In a bid to stay in business, embattled South African Airways will cease operations to Entebbe Airport with effect from February 29, 2020.
The airline also cut eight other regional and international flights to flights Abidjan via Accra, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Livingston, Luanda, Munich, Ndola, and Sao Paulo, it said in an emailed statement.
SAA will however, continue to operate all international services between Johannesburg and Frankfurt, London Heathrow, New York, Perth and Washington via Accra. Regional services to be retained include from Johannesburg to Blantyre, Dar es Salaam, Harare, Kinshasa, Lagos, Lilongwe, Lusaka, Maputo, Mauritius, Nairobi, Victoria Falls and Windhoek.
“In line with SAA’s commitment to take urgent action to conserve cash, and create a viable platform for a successful future, key measures need to be implemented now. These measures include targeted changes to the route network, deployment of more fuel-efficient aircraft, optimisation of organisational structures and renegotiation of key contracts with suppliers,” part of the statement reads in part.
“The initiatives we are taking now will strengthen SAA’s business. We believe that this should provide reassurance to our loyal customers that SAA is moving in the right direction. We are focused on our mandate to restore SAA’s commercial health and create an airline that South Africans will be proud of.”
The flight schedule for February remains unchanged.
“SAA does not intend to make any further significant network changes,” it said. “Passengers and travel agents can therefore feel confident about booking future travel.”
Administrators took control of SAA in December and have been drawing up a survival plan. The unprofitable airline is accelerating a move to cut jobs alongside the reduction in routes, according to one major labor group. The sale of some assets is also under consideration.
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