South African Airways resecures its AOC ahead of restart

The South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) has confirmed it has re-issued an Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC) to South African Airways (SA, Johannesburg O.R. Tambo) for both domestic and international flights ahead of the flag carrier’s expected relaunch later this month.

According to an SACAA spokesperson, only eight aircraft are currently listed on SAA’s AOC operating specifications. The regulator referred ch-aviation to the airline for clarification regarding which aircraft they would be operating as part of this approval.

SAA, in a separate statement, confirmed it had been granted a renewed operating license but omitted to clarify which aircraft it would be operating. Spokesperson Vimla Maistry confirmed to ch-aviation that the current certification covered A320 and A340 types totalling eight aircraft. She said that no request for proposals (RFP) for any additional aircraft – and “definitely none for regional jets” – had as yet been issued.

According to the ch-aviation fleets advanced module, SAA still owns three A340-300s and four A340-600s, while it still has three A319-100s on lease from Castlelake and one A330-300 on lease from Aergo Capital. The airline’s business rescue plan foresees a fleet of 26 aircraft, comprising 10 “small narrow bodies” (presumably regional jets which SAA has never had); nine narrow-bodies; and seven wide-bodies.

SAA interim chief executive Thomas Kgokolo in the statement said: “This is an important development as SAA readies itself to take to the skies again in just a few weeks. At our Airways Park headquarters, in hangars, and at terminals around the country, our staff are hard at work in finishing the final preparatory phases before we make an official announcement about the exact take-off date”.

“While I acknowledge there is frustration over a delay in confirming this date, all of us at SAA need to make sure vital components in a very complicated and multi-faceted process are working seamlessly before we start. I’m confident that we will be able to make that announcement soon.”

As SAA accelerates its readiness, Kgokolo has also confirmed that all management and specialist pilots have now been appointed and that the pilots who would form the core of the flight crew had been identified and would be brought on board in the next two weeks.