By Chinelo Obogo
The Chief Executive Officer of South African Airways, Prof. John Lamola, has said the airline plans to increase its fleet size from the current 20 to 50 in three years.
Speaking at a recent dinner with travel professionals and cargo partners in Lagos, he noted that the airline has transitioned from a restart phase to rebuilding as the brand it is known for.
“SAA has grown from being a restart. We are repositioning and rebuilding the airline to survive independently, together with our strategic partners. We have a five-year corporate plan focused on renewing and modernizing our fleet and elevating our customer experience, grounded in our African uniqueness. The aim is to have 50 aircraft in the next three years. We currently have 20, and we are expanding carefully.
“We are consolidating our routes by increasing frequencies. Lagos is not just one piece in our network but a very strategic route for us, and by March 2026, we will have daily flights to Lagos. We also aim to connect West Africa with Cape Town because the market demands it. The future ahead is one of cooperation and partnership,” he said. During a feedback session, some of the travel professionals shared their experiences working with SAA for over 20 years. The President of the National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies (NANTA), Mr. Yinka Folami, expressed satisfaction with SAA’s performance in the last financial year, noting its return to profitability. He however, urged South Africa and Nigeria to address the barriers in visa policies to boost trade and tourism between both countries.
The President of the Nigeria Association of Tour Operators, Bolaji Mustapha, also urged the airline to collaborate with the South African Consulate to encourage more leisure travel through improved visa policies.
Mrs. Kemi Leke-Bamtefa, SAA Country Manager in Nigeria, thanked the distinguished guests for their support and patronage over the years. She emphasized that SAA is a network carrier offering seamless connections to various destinations. She added that SAA has opened new routes in Southern Africa, including Lubumbashi and Tanzania, as well as newly established flights to Perth, Australia. She urged the travel agents to support all the routes in the airline’s network.
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