South African Airways - ANC cadre deployment
SAA and other failing SOE's were left out of the 2024 Budget Speech. Image: SANews

Home » SAA takes off on very first intercontinental Brazil flight

SAA takes off on very first intercontinental Brazil flight

South African Airways (SAA) have officially launched their first flight between Cape Town and São Paulo, Brazil. Take a look…

South African Airways - ANC cadre deployment
SAA and other failing SOE's were left out of the 2024 Budget Speech. Image: SANews

SAA has set off into international skies once more, with their inuagural flight from Cape Town to São Paulo, Brazil.

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SAA GOES INTERCONTINENTAL

The new route took off yesterday, 31 October 2023 from Cape Town International Airport with much pomp and ceremony as it marked a major milestone for SAA.

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“The choice of Brazil as our first intercontinental route was informed not only by rigorous economic and market analysis, but also by considerations of the strategic linkages of South Africa in the context of the country’s membership of BRICS,” SAA interim CEO, Professor John Lamola said as per Travel News.

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FLIGHT SCHEDULE

The route will set out from both Cape Town and Johannesburg four times a week. The second intercontinental flight, between Johannesburg and São Paulo will commence on Monday, 6 November 2023.

According to the schedule, flights from Cape Town will go out on Tuesdays and Saturdays, while Johannesburg flights are scheduled for Mondays and Thursdays.

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Take a look at the festivities around the inaugural flight yesterday:

A NEW LEASE AGREEMENT FOR SAA

SAA also just recently linked up with SunExpress to acquire more aircraft to help with flight demand, and received the first of two planes as part of the new ‘damp lease’ agreement.

Under the agreement, the two Boeing 737-800 aircraft from SunExpress will operate flights from Johannesburg on behalf of South African Airways during the airline’s high demand period.

The first of these aircraft have begun operations mid-October, and the second aircraft will have scheduled flights depending on the capacity demand by the airline.