SAA Cancels ‘Few Domestic Flights’

South African Airways (SAA) has cancelled “a few domestic flights,” the state airline’s spokesperson Tlali Tlali said on Tuesday, adding that a statement would be issued shortly.

SAA is running short of cash after the government failed to provide R2 billion of emergency funding it promised when the airline entered a form of bankruptcy protection last month.

SAA has confirmed it has cancelled some flights in a process it’s termed “a consolidation exercise”.

The national carrier issued a formal statement on Tuesday, several hours after the flights were cancelled.

It is facing a major cash crunch and is struggling to remain operational.

It was counting on emergency funding from government to the tune of R2 billion but that has yet to materialise.

In a statement, SAA said the decisions to cancel the flights were in line with its usual policy of reviewing flights and consolidating services with low demand.

It also references the process of business rescue the national carrier is currently in, saying this move was the most responsible decision in the circumstances.

Cancelled flights include the Johannesburg-Munich flight on Tuesday night until 24 January.

As well as four flights between Johannesburg and Cape Town and six between Johannesburg and Durban.

EWN