South African Airways

  • Johannesburg
  • Cape Town
  • Durban

South African Airways, SAA short - Suid - Afrikaanse formerly Lugdiens - SAL in Afrikaans - is the largest national and international South African airline based in Kempton Park and a member of the airline alliance Star Alliance. It maintains hubs in Johannesburg and Cape Town as well as cooperation with the regional companies Airlink and South African Express Airways.

History

Foundation

On August 26 In 1929 Major Allister Miller M., a South African fighter pilot and Pilot's Wings from the First World War, the Union Airways in Port Elizabeth. The new company took on the transport of passengers and freight between Port Elizabeth, Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban with five aircraft of the type De Havilland Gipsy Moth.

In 1934, the Company, the then South African Railway Company was to prevent the financial collapse, sold on February 1 at the South African Government, renamed South African Airways (SAA ) and the South African Railways and Harbours ( - now Transnet Freight Rail ) incorporated. The first targets were Cape Town and Durban and Johannesburg. The following year, 1935, also on February 1, took over South African Airways South - West African Airways ( SWAA ), which operated a weekly air-mail service between Windhoek and Kimberley since 1932.

With aircraft type Junkers F 13, Junkers W 34, 11 Junkers Ju 52, Junkers Ju 16 86, 4 Airspeed Envoy and various Lockheed L -18 up to the Second World War, many African goals were ( inter alia, in Kenya and Uganda) served. In November 1945 was the first flight to London - the first " Springbok " service. Several pilots of SAA participate in 1948 at the Berlin Airlift with some Avro York.

In the following years, the airline continued type aircraft Douglas DC-3, DC -4, DC -6, DC-7 and Lockheed Constellation and Super Constellation one. During this time a new color scheme in accordance with the national colors was introduced in white, dark blue and orange, while the machines were equipped with a bilingual inscription in English South African Airways on the left and in Afrikaans Suid - Afrikaanse Lugdiens on the right side. In 1957, South African Airways opened the first " Wallaby service " called route to Perth ( Australia) with a Lockheed Constellation.

First jet aircraft

First jet aircraft was the De Havilland Comet 1, which is used in 1953 on the Springbok route. This SAA made ​​history as the first airline outside the UK, which began the Comet. 1954 accident such leased from BOAC Comet over the Mediterranean on the way from Rome to Johannesburg. This year, the SAA moved its entire operations from the Rand Airport in Germiston on the new nearby Jan Smuts Airport in Johannesburg (later Johannesburg International Airport). In October 1960, the first Boeing 707 South African Airways landed in Europe after a nine -hour flight from Johannesburg to Athens. A short time later, the Australia route has been extended by the new four-engine jet plane to Sydney. 1962 flew the Boeing 707 the airline non-stop to the UK and other European destinations. Also in the 1960s, SAA was the first three-engined Boeing 727 for medium distances. In 1969, the route was opened to Rio de Janeiro ( Brazil). 1971 South African Airways got the first "Jumbo Jet" Boeing 747 For removal of regional markets Boeing 737 and Airbus A300 were ordered ( eg Vickers Viscount ) replaced the older type aircraft.

Because withdrawn on 22 August 1963, a number of African states of the South African Airways flying rights for political reasons, the entire route had to be changed virtually overnight. The new route ran along the west coast of Africa across the Atlantic. Therefore, it was Las Palmas on Gran Canaria new stop for stopovers: later additionally Ilha do Sal in Cape Verde. In order nevertheless to introduce direct flights to Europe, the airline ordered in 1964 another Boeing 707, but the Constellations were sold. Also in 1971, the first special jumbo jet ultra long haul aircraft, a Boeing 747-200 was provided with the name of Lebombo in service. On 23 March 1976 flew a Boeing 747 -SP in 17 hours and 21 minutes 16,595 km non-stop passengers from Boeing Field in Seattle to Cape Town; a performance that became known as the longest non-stop flight in the Guinness Book of Records and long time had stock. In the same year, the first Airbus A300 Blesbok was put into service.

Decline during the apartheid

The apartheid policies of the South African government introduced in 1977 to a global increase in political and economic isolation, which also had an impact on South African Airways. The growth of the airline was initially severely restricted and could not keep up with the international growth of air travel. So in the 70s, only a new route could be included in the Asian region to Hong Kong. Then, in 1980 was regularly served with Boeing 747 Taipei ( Taiwan). 1984 celebrated South African Airways its 50th anniversary. At this time work worldwide 11,500 employees for the SAA, the fleet consists of 41 machines, the route network comprises 196,000 km and 56 foreign offices outside South Africa.

In 1985, the airline had their flights to Buenos Aires adjust to lack of demand, but served Rio de Janeiro on. End of the 80s there were numerous foreign offices of South African Airways target of attacks, to demonstrate against the continued apartheid policies of the South African government. In 1987, South African Airways their air service to Perth and Sydney in Australia because the country's government opposed the policy of apartheid in South Africa. On 28 November 1987, there was a tragic accident of the airline. A Boeing 747- 244B Combi, the Helderberg, crashed due to a fire in the cargo hold on the flight from Taipei to Johannesburg in the vicinity of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean, where all passengers and crew were killed.

Resurgence

In 1990, the end of apartheid and South African Airways started flourished again. Offices were reopened, served old destinations again and extended its route network to the rest of Africa and Asia. In 1991, the first Airbus A320 and the Boeing 747-400 first (Durban ) on South African Airways was delivered. This year, the airline also received an award as " Best Airline in Africa ". 1992, flight operations resumed to Australia, but also to Miami, Bangkok and Singapore. In this year also a codeshare agreement with American Airlines and Air Tanzania was signed. 1993 were added to Manchester and Hamburg as additional targets. With Varig from Brazil, a code-sharing agreement was concluded. 1994, the last sanctions were lifted and on board domestic flights, passengers in four languages ​​( English, isiZulu, Afrikaans and Sesotho ) were welcomed and in addition to international flights with the local language of the destination. In the same year was founded jointly with Uganda Airways and Air Tanzania airline Alliance. 1995, a codeshare agreement with Lufthansa was signed. 1996 Bangkok became the central aviation hub of South African Airways in Asia.

In 1997 led the SAA a new image and a new color scheme of the aircraft and rejected the classic Springbok emblem as well as the old national colors of orange, white, blue. The new color scheme is based on a coat of white paint with the new national flag on the rudder with a stylized sun. The name of the airline was changed to the aircraft by now was read on both sides of South African and the old Afrikaans Suid - Afrikaanse lettering on Lugdiens or abbreviation SAL on the left side was omitted. The airline also began selling tickets over the Internet and formed an alliance with SA Airlink and SA Express.

In 1998, Coleman Andrews new president of the airline. 1999, a codeshare agreement with Delta Air Lines was signed for flights between Atlanta and South Africa. In the same year, a partial privatization. 2000 South African Airways flew the first time Fort Lauderdale in Florida and ordered 21 additional Boeing 737 on domestic routes. 2001 South African Airways was voted the best in Africa cargo airline and joined a codeshare agreement with Nigeria Airways. In March 2002, the airline ordered in nine Airbus A340 -600, A340 -300 six, eleven A319 -100 and 15 A320 -200 in order to renew its outdated Boeing fleet. Since 2002 South African Airways holds a 49 percent stake in Air Tanzania, the first investment in a foreign airline. From this time on was served by SAA with the Boeing 747SP and Milan -Malpensa, before they were asked some years later decommissioned.

Membership of the Star Alliance and restructuring

In March 2004, the airline announced the intention to join the Star Alliance and applied for full membership. The Star Alliance resolved to engage in the Alliance at their conference in June 2005. Complete integration into the alliance was effected within twelve months. On 10 April 2006, South African Airways officially a member of the Star Alliance. Jürgen Schrempp was in October 2006 by Minister of State Alec Erwin personally appointee Supervisory Board of the company. In 2007, various restructuring measures were necessary. For the European strategy, this has meant that South African Airways has since concentrated on flights to the major Star Alliance hubs in Frankfurt and Munich, as well as to London Heathrow and Zurich.

In January 2013 South African Airways received state aid in the amount of about 47 million euro to prevent a cessation of society. In autumn 2012, she received a guarantee of about 465 million euros.

Fleet

As of August 2013, the fleet of 62 aircraft from South African Airways is with an average age of 9.8 years:

Incidents

  • On March 13, 1967, a Vickers Viscount crashed during approach to land at East London (Eastern Cape ) in bad weather in the Indian Ocean. All 25 people on board died.
  • On April 20, 1968 Boeing 707 crashes on a flight from Johannesburg to London at the start after a stopover in Windhoek from, 123 of the 128 persons on board died.
  • On November 28, 1987 Ramgoolam International Airport a fire B 747- 244B with the baptismal name Helderberg and the single aircraft developed on flight 295 from Taiwan Taoyuan Airport in Taiwan over Sir Seewoosagur in Mauritius to Johannesburg over the Indian Ocean in the Combi cargo hold of the Boeing ZS- SAS. The aircraft crashed into the sea, all 159 occupants, including 19 crew members died. The possible cause of the crash has been controversial after the crash in the Margo Commission and has been re-discussed in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in 1996. There was a presumption currently unknown whether the cargo hold provided for military purposes charges were bypassing the then embargo regulations that would have ignited during the flight itself.
  • On 5 October 1998, the Boeing 747SP had to turn on whom way to Lisbon to make an emergency landing with the registration ZS- SPF after an engine fire during climb from Maputo Airport in Mozambique. It was none of the 66 occupants, including 50 passengers injured. The aircraft, however, was heavily damaged and had to be written off.

Credentials

IATA-Code International Civil Aviation Organization airport code Kempton Park, Gauteng Chief Executive Officer De Havilland DH.60 Moth Junkers Ju 86 Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar Sal, Cape Verde Zulu language Sotho language National language Solinair Mango (airline) East London, Eastern Cape Aviation Safety Network Department of Public Enterprises Adria Airways Air Canada Air New Zealand All Nippon Airways Avianca Brussels Airlines Copa Airlines Croatia Airlines EgyptAir EVA Air Shenzhen Airlines Ansett Australia Continental Airlines Shanghai Airlines
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