The Chief Executive Officer of South African Airways, Prof. John Lamola, says the airline plans to buy 30 more aircraft in addition to current 20, making it 50 in the fleet.
He said this was to better improve its passengers’ experience.
Lamola stated this in a release after his meeting with CEOs of top travel agencies and cargo partners in the country.
He added that the airline has left its starting point to be rebuilt as the renowned global brand it is known for.
He said, “SAA has grown from being a restart. We are repositioning and rebuilding the airline to survive on its own together with our strategic partners.
“We have a five-year corporate plan of going through a renewal and modernisation of our fleet and to elevate our customer experience grounded on our African uniqueness. The aim is to have 50 aircraft in the next three years. We have 20 now, and we are expanding carefully.”
While appreciating the top travel agents in the country, Prof. Lamola stressed that by March 2026, the airline will start a daily flight to Lagos, promising to also connect Cape Town considering the demand of the market.
“We are consolidating our routes by having more frequencies. Lagos is not just one piece in our network but a very strategic route for us, and by March 2026 we will have daily flights to Lagos. We also want to connect West Africa with Cape Town because the market demands it. The future going forward is one of cooperation and holding hands together,” he noted.
Responding to the airline chief, the President of the National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies, Yinka Folami, welcomed Lamola to Nigeria and expressed delight at the impressive performance of SAA in the last financial year with its evidential profit.
Folami said, “On behalf of NANTA we want to say in all areas of our industry concerns, SAA has no fault in any.”
He, however, urged closing the gaps between Nigerians and South Africans by relaxing the visa regimes at both ends in order to boost more trade and tourism between both countries.
