Star Alliance member and South Africa’s flag carrier, South African Airways (SAA) has immediately suspend all international operations until 31 May, 2020.
The move was in in response to a government travel ban aimed at stopping the transmission of the Coronavirus (Covid-19), the airline said today.
“It is all our responsibility, not just government, to curb further transmission of the virus. In addition, the increasing risks to our crew of contracting the virus including the possibility of being trapped in foreign destinations as a consequence of increasing travel bans cannot be ignored,” said SAA Acting CEO, Zuks Ramasia.
The airline also added that the COVID-19 pandemic and attendant travel restrictions had resulted in a substantial decline in demand for air travel which caused many airlines across the world to ground aircraft, release their employees, and to cancel flights.
“We also recognize the fluidity in the conditions we operate in and the need to respond to these changes with speed, to this end we commit to keep all our stakeholders abreast of any changes on an ongoing basis,” said Ramasia.
SAA will only continue to render services on its regional and domestic routes, from Johannesburg and Cape Town airports
