SAA to lease 2 A350-900s for JNB-JFK route
 

Per World Airline News (I'm unable to link in this post), 2 A350-900s will be arriving in the second half of this year, 30 business class seats, 246 economy.

SAA has not said where they're leasing them from, but might be Hainan, according to @schallies2 on Twitter?

Any further news on this? I' haven't seen anything anywhere. I have an upcoming flight JFK-JNB in early September and it's showing the 340-600.

Thanks!

I haven't come across much information, but from what I gather from @Darren_olivier and @simonswanich on Twitter: Delivery is expected in September, with JFK flights commencing the first week of November.

Wish they were on they IAD - JNB route....

IAD-JNB at least has the new A330s, right? I wonder if a growing A350 fleet could allow for a non-stop IAD-JNB (if there's enough demand to support that).

Yes which is a plus....but the the overall experience is much better with the A350.

How so? We have no idea of the seats and IFE and configuration on the A350s yet, so it's impossible to say. There has been much speculation and confusing information from SAA themselves on it, so I don't think one can say yet.

Absolutely the A350 could do IAD-JNB non-stop, but I don't see it happening since the route is as much about the JNB-ACC and ACC-IAD legs for SAA.

The A350 can stop in ACC just like an A330

Sure it can, but they'll place the A350 on longer non-stop segments first where it's payload would be more useful and it's lower fuel burn more advantageous. So, JNB-JFK, JNB-HKG, JNB-CAN (starting next year) will all come first, and even then, the remaining A340-600 routes like JNB-FRA after that. JNB-ACC-IAD is fairly far down the list for SAA to place the A350.

Just curious what information SAA themselves have put out that is confusing?

To my knowledge, SAA's only public statement has been to announce that 2 airframes would be coming at the end of September and would be deployed to JFK in the W19 schedule period. Nothing more, nothing less.

The media has speculated wildly as to where these 2 frames are coming from, whether additional frames are coming, what will happen to the A340s, etc... but SAA has remained silent on all of these.

The SAA press statement indicates that the aircraft will offer business and economy class, doesn't indicate the number of business class seats, but indicates the number of economy seats at 246. I think it's confusing that an airline puts out a press statement indicating the number of economy seats, but not the number of business class seats.

Furthermore, it indicated that the lease was going to be three years. Given that these aircraft could only be coming from MK (C28Y298), HU/HX (C33Y301) or JJ (C30Y318, although sometimes incorrectly described as
C30W63Y246), it's confusing since it seems as though they may have even gotten the number of economy seats wrong in the press statement.

Looks like registrations have been allocated for the first 2 A350-900s.

https://www.ch-aviation.com/portal/n...ines-a350-900s

According to a Department of Transport filing on August 30, SAA will add ZS-SDC (msn 226) and ZS-SDD (msn 245) which are currently in service for Hainan Airlines (HU, Haikou) as B-304Z and B-305A respectively.

Write up in Sawubona
 

I believe the regs were known a few months back. but I guess a filing confirms it :https://onemileatatime.com/south-african-airways-a350/

I wonder if they will be painted in SAA colors?

From what I've heard from SAA itself, it will be and will be having some other small interior modifications in Johannesburg next month. Firstly flight to JFK is early November but not loaded in the schedule until they're more certain of a final date. Since the aircraft are still flying for Hainan these dates could change.

Has anyone heard updates about when these A350s will begin to fly?

I saw some photos of the plane (air Mauritius) testing in TLS about a week ago. Perhaps getting ready to fly soon?

Looks like the first SAA A350 has been painted and is at SIN.

Twitter

SAA reporting on twitter that it's arrived in SA.

Still not seeing the plane scheduled.

They say mid December pending regulatory and technical approvals

The paint scheme looks ugly with the white border.

I read in a news article that they will have a few rows in economy with extended leg room. Has anyone heard this?

This is kind of fun. It looks like someone took one of the a350s out for a quick spin today. (I'm pretty sure that photo isn't quite right!)

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...2452e423be.png

Company acceptance flight. The registrations ZS-SDC/D/E/F were previously used for the A300's back in the back, hence the pictures in the database (some nice nostalgia there).

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...f018e3c8a.jpeg
I happened to notice this today…

2 A350 delivered in time for receivership! what timing!

Does anyone know when they will put the A359 on regular schedule? Seems like they have used first ZS-SDE and then later ZS-SDF on JNB-DUR flights for crew training for some time now.

An article titled "PICS | SAA's 1st of four brand new A350-900 jets just began operating between Cape Town and Joburg" has just been posted on Traveller24.com.

I see A350 now scheduled for my July JFK-JNB :)

Here's a recent review of what to expect on this route.

https://thepointsguy.com/reviews/sou...business-a350/

So looking at flightradar24 it seems the former Hainan ZS-SDC/ZS-SDD are flying JFK-JNB, hopefully that changes at some point.

https://www.flightradar24.com/data/aircraft/zs-sdd

Also throwing these on the JNB-FRA route:

https://www.routesonline.com/news/38...from-feb-2020/

The handful of times I have taken this flight, it is never more than half full in Y. Was always very easy to get an economy couch (aka 4 economy seats) in the back section.

:(

https://simpleflying.com/saa-airbus-...aft-graveyard/