South African Airways (SAA) will resume direct flights between South Africa and Malawi from March 16, following an agreement with the High Commission of Malawi in Pretoria.

SAA started selling tickets on Monday and announced that, as of next month, passengers traveling to Lilongwe could fly directly from Johannesburg. The announcement was made by Professor John Lamola, the Airline's CEO, during a meeting with Stella Ndau, the High Commissioner of Malawi to South Africa.

During the meeting, Professor Lamola expressed SAA's plans to resume flights on this route and the importance of its relationship with Malawi. South Africa and Malawi are active members of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), a league of Southern African nations meant to achieve economic development, peace, and security within the region.

Ethiopian Airlines and Kenya Airways operate flights between South Africa and Malawi, so adding the state-owned airline to the network would boost economic development, trade, and tourism between the two nations.

Flight frequencies canceled

South African Airways served over 34 destinations from its hubs in Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Durban before entering the voluntary business rescue plan in 2019. The flag carrier had been recording significant losses for years which worsened at the dawn of the pandemic. In 2020, with travel at the lowest it had ever been, SAA could not get more funding from the government, therefore, halted all its flights.

Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

In 2021, SAA came out of business rescue and restarted operations, but flights to many of its previous destinations, including Nairobi, Lilongwe, Blantyre, Victoria Falls, Maputo, and Entebbe, were not resumed. As a result, the International Air Services Council (IASC) canceled some of the airline's flight frequencies as they were not being used.

According to Mr Lamola, rigorous planning preceded the resumption of flights, and the flag carrier had to restructure. One of its focus areas was the promotion of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AFCTA), an agreement that would establish a free trade area across the African continent. It has been signed by 44 out of 55 states, so SAA and the government of Malawi believe that their partnership would be essential for promoting this objective within the SADC region.

The airline's CEO commended the Malawi High Commission for its role and efforts in ensuring the resumption of these flights. The High Commissioner also had some positive comments for SAA for its confidence in resuming business and its partnership with Malawi. She said;

"We are excited with this development which we believe will ensure that Malawi should remain as one of the most affordable tourist destinations in the region. This will certainly compliment Government’s efforts of improving our economy.”

Is SAA getting back on track

After reporting financial losses and the suspension of all operations during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Star Alliance member had been ruled out by anxious South African passengers, but that was not the conclusion of its story.

Photo: South African Airways

After coming out of voluntary business rescue, the South African government announced plans to revive the airline in June 2021. It partnered with Takatso Consortium to bring SAA back to its former glory. The South African Civil Aviation Authority confirmed in August 2021 that SAA had reattained its Air Operator's Certificate with an approved fleet of eight aircraft.

The state-owned carrier resumed operations on September 23, 2021, although the investment agreement with Takatso had not been fully concluded. Nonetheless, South African Airways was named the second-best airline in Africa after Ethiopian Airlines, despite not flying for nine months of that year. Although it has not resumed intercontinental flights, SAA is one of the South African Airline choices for regional destinations.