Flag carrier airlines are exceptionally hard things to kill. Whilst independent start up airlines often have a short life, national pride means that flag carriers can be kept alive despite all economic logic, as the multiple bailouts of Alitalia over the years showed.This is a wayward introduction to saying that …. South African Airways is back.South African Airways ceased flights in September 2020, although regular passengers services had ended in March 2020 when the pandemic took off. The company had been in ‘business rescue’ since 2019 – covid was just the final nail in the coffin.Is South African Airways heading back to London?Since returning to the skies it has resumed several domestic and regional routes but nothing long haul.South African Airways is heading back to international flyingThe South African Government has approved plans for SAA to lease an additional five short haul A320 aircraft and a grand total of one additional long haul A330 aircraft.The company has announced that the A330 will allow it to launch one intercontinental route.Whilst the exact route won’t be announced for some weeks, London is obviously a strong possibility.London makes sense in terms of the large diaspora here and the strong UK / South Africa tourist market. The downside, of course, is the strong competition from British Airways and Virgin Atlantic.The only snag is that one A330 isn’t enough to run a daily flight to Heathrow. As well as a 12 hour flying time, the aircraft sits on the ground at Heathrow all day. Three flights per week would seem to be the practical limit to what could be done.Other possibilities include Frankfurt (previously operated, allows Star Alliance connections to/from Lufthansa), Dubai or somewhere on the US East Coast where it could connect to Star Alliance. The airline has also been rumoured to be considering Perth and Sao Paulo.That said, if South African Airways realistically wants to be seen as a global carrier again, London is where they need to be.
