Intl359Widget

Unfortunately to be a fellow cynic, I am afraid this will continue for another cycle but I think privatisation of SAA is the most prudent course of action.

johan rebel

Not sure revitalization is the right word here.

It's more like an instance of an asystolic patient getting a very weak pulse again after some pretty inept but very expensive CPR. The next cardiac arrest could occur anytime.

Johan

thijsseh

In principle, I would not disagree. The issue with privatisation is that someone needs to buy the shares from the government. But here it would be more of a case of 'how much will you pay me to get me to take this mess of your hands'. All this talk (for many months if not years) of 'talks with an equity partner are at an advanced stage' seem to be wishful thinking. Or just a ruse to suggest that this saga is eventually going to end (which it is not). Covid has obviously not helped, but it's far from being the root cause of the 'financial woes' in the thread title.

herro

There is an interview made on the SAA history by a former employee telling about his 25+ years working at SAA. This tells on everything from leadership and how it operated.

Listen to it here as inspiration.

The interresting part is that it sounds like the operation and leadership of SAA never made it possible for the airline to overcome the financiel situation and COVID-19 just made it worse.

CurbedEnthusiasm

I was shocked when the interviewee, Patrick Menzies, said he wasn't from South Africa (Google says he is Danish). His South African English accent sounds perfect to my American ear; he speaks just like my born and bred South African friends.

thijsseh

Yes, Covid obviously did not help, but the writing was on the wall a long time before that.
I don't think Patrick Menzies makes that point very clearly (although he does of course mention it).
It's corruption (plus the concomitant incompetence) that killed the airline (which was good in it's heyday, let's be clear about that). Not Covid.

Edit: And he is a bit out of touch, it seems. Does not mention Airlink as a (probably the biggest) threat to any domestic 'revival' of SAA...

johan rebel

"I think SAA is too important an asset to give to the private sector."

New beginnings for SAA

Johan

jsnydcsa

Sadly, while I appreciate the "nothing new" update, there's frankly, nothing "new" in here. Just a lot of the same got to do things different, change, etc. etc. garbage. Nothing "real" or factual.

Alpha Golf

More detail here, including identity of the buyers.

What could go wrong?

jsnydcsa

https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/arti...ership-of-saa/
"The terms and conditions of the consortium’s participation in SAA – including the future funding of the airline, whether restrictions on flight routes and long-term labour (including pilots and staff) have been imposed – are not yet known."

Are not yet known...
Yikes.

escapefromphl

I doubt if 3b ZAR is enough to get a global operation going again, maybe a regional one though?

jsnydcsa

The various news outlets mention that they hope to start with intra-SA travel, then regional (I presume sub-Saharan Africa), then international. As to latter, the buyers note that they face competition. All these grand-poo-bahs need their govt funded flights to resume, you can't expect them to fly Mango.

As an aside, there is also speculation/but no concrete answers on the fate of Mango, and SAA's "ancillary" businesses such as (if I recall) catering, maintenance, etc.

I'm no aviation corporation junkie (then why are you on Flyertalk...) but I was scratching my head about these new buyers. I would have expected some name recognition even on my uneducated part. This seems to be some cobbled together what-have-you. I am not optimistic.

Cheetah_SA

Gidon Novick is the name that gives this any semblance of credibility. He has had a very creditable aviation career with Comair and Kulula.

jsnydcsa

+1

johan rebel

SAA’s new wings undermined by pending questions about its funding model