South African Airways
A South African Airways Airbus A340-300 | |||||||
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| Founded | 24 July 1929 (as Union Airways) | ||||||
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| Hubs | O. R. Tambo International Airport | ||||||
| Secondary hubs | Cape Town International Airport | ||||||
| Frequent-flyer program | Voyager | ||||||
| Alliance | Star Alliance | ||||||
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| Fleet size | 19 (2025) | ||||||
| Destinations | 17 (2025) | ||||||
| Parent company | Government of South Africa | ||||||
| Headquarters | Airways Park, O. R. Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa | ||||||
| Key people | John Lamola (CEO) Lindsay Olitzki (CFO) Sedzani Faith Mudau (Chairwoman) | ||||||
| Revenue | R8.8 billion (2025) | ||||||
| Profit | R155 million (2025) | ||||||
| Total equity | R6.64 million (2025) | ||||||
| Website | flysaa | ||||||
South African Airways (SAA; Afrikaans: Suid-Afrikaanse Lugdiens, SAL) is the flag carrier of South Africa. Founded in 1929 as Union Airways it later rebranded to South African Airways in 1934. As of February 2026, SAA flies to 17 destinations, operating a fleet of 19 aircraft (with plans to increase its fleet size to 21).
SAA is headquartered in Airways Park at O. R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg and operates a hub-and-spoke network, serving 13 destinations in Africa and two intercontinental destinations to Perth, Australia and São Paulo, Brazil. The carrier joined Star Alliance in April 2006, making it the first African carrier to sign with one of the three major airline alliances.
The airline entered voluntary business rescue in December 2019 as a result of financial difficulties, and suspended all operations the following year. In June 2021, the South African government announced that SAA would be partially privatised in a Strategic Equity Partnership (SEP) transaction with the Takatso Consortium, which would hold a 51% controlling stake and 49% remaining with the State.
After almost three years of protracted negotiations, the government terminated the SEP with Takatso, reverting back to the status quo of a 100% state-owned SAA. The South African Civil Aviation Authority confirmed on 4 August 2021 that SAA's air operator's certificate had been reissued with an approved fleet of eight aircraft.
The airline restarted operations on 23 September 2021, despite not having concluded the investment agreement with the proposed private partners. Nonetheless, SAA was recognised as the second best airline in Africa by Skytrax in 2021, despite not having flown a single scheduled flight for 18 months.
Since emerging from business rescue, SAA has grown steadily, increasing in terms of fleet size, destinations services, and number of employees. After regaining profitability in its 2024 financial year, the airline posted a R155 million profit for its 2025 financial year, with total revenue generated amounting to R8.8 bilion - a 35.9% increase year-over-year.