Ouverture de 6 nouvelles lignes en Afrique dont Cotonou. Le reste il s'agit de réouverture
SOUTH African Airways’ (SAA’s) still weak balance sheet may force it to lease rather than buy many of the 20 Airbus A320 jets it has ordered from the European aircraft manufacturer to replace its leased fleet of Boeing 737-800 aircraft.
SAA spokesman Fani Zulu said last week that despite an improved performance in the past two years, the balance sheet remained weak.
With a net debt-to-equity ratio of 20:1 as at end-March and a list price for the 20 aircraft of more than R10bn — before discounts, it is likely that a significant number of the aircraft will be taken on lease.
"How many we will buy or lease still has to be determined and depends on the funding we are able to secure. We have already held a road show in the US, which was well received, and are planning another one in Europe early in the new year," Mr Zulu said during a tour of the Airbus facility in Toulouse, France, last week.
In addition to the A320s, which will be introduced into the fleet from 2013, SAA will take delivery early next year of six leased A330-300 aircraft, two of which were in final assembly in Toulouse.
The aircraft are being sold to leasing group Air Castle, which in turn will lease them to SAA.
Despite the funding implications, the introduction of new Airbus aircraft into SAA’s fleet from March next year will be vital in allowing the airline to expand its global network with new ultralong- haul flights to China, improved connectivity within Africa, as well as providing a nonstop service to New York or Washington.
This is a significant moment for SAA’s Africa strategy as it will allow the airline to cement its dominance on the continent.
The aim is to provide the widest choice of destinations on the continent while allowing passengers to visit several African countries on a single trip using SAA without having to return to Johannesburg first.
At the same time the new routes will allow SAA to tap the lucrative Chinese market as well as compete for the first time with Delta Airlines by putting on a direct flight to New York or Washington.
Mr Zulu said the airline was expected to announce some big changes to its global network in the first quarter of next year.
These include six new routes into Africa, including Cotonou in Benin, as well as the introduction of onward flights from existing African destinations to other cities in West Africa. SAA is likely to use Accra in Ghana, which has one of the most open skies on the continent, as a regional hub for these onward flights.
Mr Zulu said the revitalised fleet would also allow SAA to use its aircraft optimally and grow the airline without expanding the fleet.
While the average turnover per aircraft climbed from R432m last year to R477m this year, SAA believes it can get more out of the fleet through better route planning. This is particularly important as local carriers continue to lose out to foreign carriers.
David Prevor, head of market research and forecasts at Airbus, said that despite continued growth in international traffic to SA, South African carriers had lost 17% of the market to foreign airlines.
The new A330 aircraft will free up SAA’s A340-600 aircraft for the new ultralong-haul Chinese and US routes, while the A330 will be used to serve Bombay, London and Frankfurt as well as some African destinations.
SAA will take delivery of its first A330 when it rolls out of the Airbus factory in Toulouse, with the rest to be delivered by December next year.
"The new A330s will provide a far superior passenger experience, particularly in terms of in-flight entertainment." Over the years, passengers have frequently complained about the on-board entertainment on the older A340-200 aircraft, which the A330 will replace.
The changes, which have prompted the reintroduction of the cadet pilot scheme, will also see better co-operation with local siblings Mango and SA Express and will include a renewed focus on the domestic market, particularly on the "golden triangle" between Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban.
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