Articles tagged “south african airways”

We take a look at every member of the Star Alliance, the world’s first airline alliance.

South Africa's Airlink wants to create a Southern Africa leader with a deal for Namibia's only domestic airline. Can the carrier take up the mantle from struggling South African Airways?

Comair, South Africa's second-largest airline, ceased operations earlier this month and is being liquidated. Its failure leaves a vacuum in the country's airline market, Africa's largest, that other airlines will struggle to fill.

Will a new Pan-African Airline Group save two loss-making state-owned carriers? Both Kenya Airways and South African Airways hope so, but significant obstacles remain in their path to the new group. And meanwhile, powerhouses like Ethiopian Airways aren't sitting still.

South Africa is understandably cautious as it approaches winter, and doing all it can to stave off a health crisis. But its strict and prolonged protocols might end up doing more harm than good.

To the delight of local tourism authorities, British Airways has been only too happy to fill the gap left by an ever-shrinking South African Airways. This week, Durban was the latest African city to welcome a direct route to the United Kingdom.

Many politicians fear their nations will be irrelevant if they abandon their money-losing flag airlines. That's probably a stretch. In most places, the market likely would fill the gap — provided the government got out of the way. But national pride is powerful, and few people want to see storied brands disappear.

The government of South Africa is adamant the country needs a global airline as a matter of national sovereignty. That has been a costly decision. Is it necessary?