South African Airways (SAA) was back in the skies Thursday morning with flights from Johannesburg to Cape Town.
Flights to and several regional destinations including Accra, Kinshasa, Harare, Lusaka, and Maputo have also resumed, with the first flights scheduled for Monday..
SAA suspended its services earlier this year in March and went into business rescue.
The struggling airline shed jobs and sought new business partners to try and revive its fortunes.
Following months of preparation after exiting business rescue, SAA resumed domestic and continental services on Thursday.
The leaner airline said the resumption of flights to Cape Town marked the return of SAA domestic flights.
“Our journey back to the skies has not been easy and I pay tribute to our dedicated workforce in all areas of the business all of whom have and are putting in long hours ahead of this day,” said SAA Interim CEO Thomas Kgokolo.
He said the resumption of flights was “a proud and significant one for SAA and its staff as well as all South African citizens”.
Chief Pilot Mpho Mamashela said “all of us who are going to be at the front of the plane” understand the new vision of SAA.
“We are proud to be part of this new era. We are determined to be absolutely perfect and to make South Africans proud.”
The SA Cabin Crew union said it was “cautiously optimistic”.
