South Africa Airways starts Abuja-Johannesburg flight

The South Africa Airways (SAA) commenced direct flight from Abuja to Johannesburg, South Africa on Wednesday. The airline said the inaugural flight is part of measures to boost bilateral relationship between Nigeria and South Africa.

Regional General Manager-Africa and Middle East Aaron Munetsi and the Country Manager-Nigeria Thobi Duma said that it has always been the dream of SAA to ensure the air travel in the continent hence it sustained efforts since it began operation in Nigeria in 1998 in Lagos as the then Federal Capital of the country.

The flight will be on simultaneous to and fro operation and would be on three times weekly for a start.

South Africa High Commissioner to Nigeria Ambassador Lulu Louis Mnguni during the formal launch in November 2015 in Abuja said the flight will among others engender the tourism relationship between Nigeria and his country and that more Nigerians are expected to visit South Africa and vice versa.

“We are happy to witness and to deepen Africa Agenda. We can have another Krouga Park in Bauchi State through tourism exchange. This will also assist the youths of the two countries to collaborate with each other and generate more employment opportunities that can also be used to stem the insurgency in the South East,” Mnguni said.

Munetsi said a Boeing A330-200 would be used for today's inaugural flight and that the three times weekly flight would be soon be extended to be a daily flight.

He also said that the South Africa government is not in any way subsidizing any of the operational cost of the airline apart from the developmental national mandate which was given to facilitate governmental relationship with countries SAA is operating in.

While saying that the Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) that enable the airline carry out the Checks A to D with check-D involving the removal of all parts of an aircraft and re-coupling it in compliance with the fact there is no old aircraft, he said any aircraft that has pass through check-D can still operate for 30 years or more irrespective of the year it was initially rolled out, and that the MRO has given SAA an edge to enable it win the best Africa Airline 14 years consecutively.

curlled from : dailytrust