Daily Sydney-Johannesburg flights by 2010

[Kurt A]

South African Airways (SAA) aims to meet Australia’s growing demand for South Africa by providing daily services from Sydney and Perth to Johannesburg by 2010.

SAA currently operates direct services between Sydney and Johannesburg as part of a codeshare with Qantas. It also has direct services from Perth on SAA aircraft. Plans to increase the number of direct Sydney services from five to seven flights per week by April 2009 will use Qantas aircraft.

Direct flights to Perth, which aim to be in place by 2010, will use SAA’s own aircraft. But non-stop services to Sydney using SAA aircraft would depend on the availability of aircraft and fuel prices, the carrier said.

“Australian growth was 6.9% last year, which was one of our best results on record, but it is currently economically viable for us to operate through Qantas,” said Thevan Krishna, head of Australasia for South African Airways. “With the fuel prices at the moment it’s becoming quite risky to look at new routes.”

SAA said it will also look at better aligning flight times out of Australia to stimulate further demand. SAA is moving to a mixture of A340-200s and A340-300s for some of its Perth services, and from November to January SAA will use an A340-600 on the Perth route.-cj

[Nigel C]

How many years has it been now since we heard the 'Springbok 280/1' callsign in Sydney?

[Rhys Xanthis]

saw the SAA depart this morning from perth...

was walking between classes and i was in the right place...it was flying pretty low (lower than another couple i saw today), and dam it was LOUD!

[Michael Cleary]

Nigel - about 7 years - the last SAA photo at YSSY on A.Net is of a SAA 747SP by Craig Murray dated 06/01/2001.

[Rhys Xanthis]

Its amazing there are still 747SP's flying around...surely they would be in very bad shape!

[Nigel C]

Rhys, Michael didn't say they are still flying 747SP's. He said they used to fly them here 7 years ago.

SAA no longer have the SP's in their fleet.


For information on B747SP operators (both current and past), see http://www.747sp.com/Operators.asp

[Montague S]

Its amazing there are still 747SP's flying around...surely they would be in very bad shape!

what is it with everyone thinking that because something has age behind it it's automatically in bad shape? :eek:

[Grant Smith]

what is it with everyone thinking that because something has age behind it it's automatically in bad shape? :eek:

You hearing that a lot lately Monty?

:D

[Marty H]

Rhys, Michael didn't say they are still flying 747SP's. He said they used to fly them here 7 years ago.

SAA no longer have the SP's in their fleet.


For information on B747SP operators (both current and past), see http://www.747sp.com/Operators.asp

SAA dont operate any form of B747 at all do they?

[Nigel C]

According to http://www.planespotters.net/Airline/South-African-Airways they do (assuming the information is up to date). 5 747-400's all up with 2 in storage.

Also see http://www.airfleets.net/flottecie/South%20African%20Airways.htm

[Rhys Xanthis]

Rhys, Michael didn't say they are still flying 747SP's. He said they used to fly them here 7 years ago.

SAA no longer have the SP's in their fleet.


When did i say SAA fly them? I was referring to other operators.

Only saying they are in bad shape because of the state of QF 743's, although i understand they are under pretty high utilisation.

[Grant Smith]

I understand the UAE 747SP's are in immaculate condition!

[Nigel C]

When did i say SAA fly them? I was referring to other operators.

This entire thread has been about SAA, including the post where Michael referred specifically to the SAA B747SP, so why should I assume you are referring to other airlines outside of SAA?

If you were referring to other operators, then perhaps you could have said as much.:rolleyes:

[Rhys Xanthis]

well i didnt specifically say SAA, to me it sounds like a general comment.

whatever, lets get back to the thread's real topic.

[Montague S]

I shot SAA 74L in Johannesburg last year and had a tour from the engineer, the only issue was that the engines were "time" something or other but the structural condition was fine. I've seen 60 year old DC-6's flying cargo in-n-out of Anchorage without a problem...so lay off the age nonsense, ok?

[Montague S]

According to http://www.planespotters.net/Airline/South-African-Airways they do (assuming the information is up to date). 5 747-400's all up with 2 in storage.

Also see http://www.airfleets.net/flottecie/South%20African%20Airways.htm

not quite true mate, one of them, ZS-SAZ is still flying in SAA scheme for TAAG Angola.

[Nigel C]

Hey old man;),

I did qualify it with 'assuming the information is up to date'.
I guess the web site needs updating! My information was sourced using Google. At least I did a bloody search!


:p

[Justin L]

Great news and will provide a much needed boost to capacity on this market. I flew SYD-JNB-SYD last week on SA codeshare tickets on QF and both flights were full. Speaking to the crew on board, they said that is was practically like that for every flight, and that daily flights weren't too far away. They said the crew could then do 48 hour turnarounds instead of the current 72 hours.

I suppose once the A380s come online, they can reallocate some 747s to boost capacity on existing routes such as JNB and introduce new routes like EZE.

Ironically, an SAA billboard last year on an intersection near where I live had the slogan "Fly to Africa on the Jumbo" and had a picture of an SA aircraft, even though the service from SYD is a QF plane, and even the PER services on A340s.

[Montague S]

Hey old man;),

I did qualify it with 'assuming the information is up to date'.
I guess the web site needs updating! My information was sourced using Google. At least I did a bloody search!


:p

with age comes knowledge... :D

[Brenden S]

FYI 15 B747SP's are in service
1 being repaired
15 scrapped
2 preserved
2 WFU
8 stored
2 derelict

45

[Justin L]

While QF are expanding JNB services from SYD, they have no plans to do so from PER at this stage. I suppose the currently don't use their own aircraft on that route anyway - so if SA increase their services I'm sure QF would codeshare on those.

http://business.watoday.com.au/no-more-south-african-flights-qantas-20080630-2z6m.html

No more South African flights: Qantas

* Chalpat Sonti
* June 30, 2008

Qantas says it has no plans to increase flights between Perth and Johannesburg, despite an agreement allowing for them to be doubled to cope with demand on the route.

Federal Transport Minister Anthony Albanese said the Australia-South Africa aviation market had been growing an average of 7.3 per cent a year since 2004, and new arrangements agreed between the two countries would help ease capacity constraints.

The number of weekly frequencies available for services to Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban would immediately double from five to ten. Four more weekly services will become available from October next year, and triple daily services will be possible from October 2010.

South African Airways and Qantas at present operate a five-times-a-week codeshare return service between Perth and Johannesburg. A Qantas spokesman said the airline would apply for an additional Sydney-Johannesburg service, scheduled to start in April next year, but had no plans to increase the frequency of flights from Perth, home to a large expatriate South African population.

Meanwhile, Mr Albanese said another agreement with Kenya opened the way into East Africa. Airlines will be able to operate daily services between both countries.

The region is home to several mining prospects being developed by WA companies.

[Rhys Xanthis]

Well the A342 will soon become an A346 for a few months on the PER-JNB.

Plus SA do 5 x weekly, could easily (aircraft allowing) be bumped up to 7 weekly. Dont think Qantas would be against it (they are One World alliance members after all)

[NickN]

The old country has lost its shape. Dad went back a few months ago and was really dissapointed with the place. One of our Jewish mates just came back and said it has gone to the s**t as well.

The pendulum has swung too far in the other direction these days, now its bad to be white instead of black. Glad I don't have any family reunions coming up soon I aint keen on going back anytime soon after hearing those stories.

Anybody else been there lately and have a better opinion?

[Sarah C]

Dont think Qantas would be against it (they are One World alliance members after all)

SA are not oneworld (I thought they were Star Alliance)

[Rhys Xanthis]

SA are not oneworld (I thought they were Star Alliance)

whoops:o

[Grant Smith]

SA are not oneworld (I thought they were Star Alliance)


Affirm Sarah, SA are a Star Alliance member...

[Malcolm Parker]

Qantas have submitted the application already to increase to 6 x weekly from DEC08 and then daily from APR 09. So the daily service will be operating sooner than expected. However it was remarked that this application and further capacity could be for Qantas and/or it subsidiary. So JNB down the line in the next few years could be operated by JQ with its 787's say from MEL or BNE. yields are too good from SYD I imagine with J and F class.