SAA delays intercontinental route expansion
The interim Chairman of South African Airways (SAA), Derek Hanekom, recently said in an interview with South African television news broadcaster eNCA (eNews Channel Africa) that SAA's plans to extend intercontinental flights beyond Perth in Australia have to be delayed by a couple of years unless "some sources of capital can be found".
According to Mr Hanekom, the airline was actually planning to launch intercontinental flights to London, Frankfurt and North America. As of now, South African Airways is operating two intercontinental routes, namely Johannesburg/Cape Town <> Sao Paulo and Johannesburg <> Perth.
Mr Hanekom further said that South African Airways is not only actively seeking for potential minority investors but also for access to capital markets and loan financing. Once SAA is getting additional capital from "whatever source", a more rapidly expansion might be possible.
