SAA Buys New Fleet


New Era (Windhoek)

February 3, 2005
Posted to the web February 3, 2005

Surihe Gaomas
Windhoek

SOUTH African Airways (SAA) has started flying an Airbus A319-100 aircraft it acquired from Airbus in Toulouse in France for its domestic and regional flights, the airline announced on Tuesday.

The aircraft, equipped with state-of-the-art avionics, was procured from Airbus in a deal that cost SAA about N$3,5 billion ,lasting until 2012 mainly to replace its aging fleet of aircraft.


Presently, the airline has received six A319-100 and by June this year eleven more of these aircraft would be delivered to SAA from France.

It arrived from Hamburg, Germany towards the end of last month and flew for the first time from Windhoek's Hosea Kutako International Airport to Johannesburg, South Africa earlier this week.

At a recent press conference, the Senior Manager of SAA Southern Africa Heinz-Louis Benseler said the aircraft is the latest addition to the airline's fleet, replacing the old A737-200 aircraft.

"It can travel more than 5 000 kilometres per hour and it carries 120 passengers compared to the older aircraft of 737-200 which only carries 107," explained Benseler.

The aircraft is part of SAA's fleet renewal programme.

"With a two-cabin configuration for both business and economy class, it provides better customer comfort, enormous economical savings and profitability for the airline," said the senior manager.

For the first time, passengers taking the Airbus A319-100 aircraft will be given the opportunity to also make their bookings through what Benseler called 'e-ticketing.'


"Electronic ticketing means that people can still make their normal bookings on the computer, but they would not have to carry any tickets with them in person. So, a client can travel overseas without a ticket," said Benseler.

This complete transformation of producing plane tickets all on the Internet will become more evident in the year 2007.

"It can travel more than 5 000 kilometres per hour...."

Man, that's pretty fast!

Yeah, thats like Mach 4, 3000 mph. I guess the compression flight suit rental is covered in the ticket price.

Geronimo

Well 5000 kph ought to make for a shorter flight time!

That will be great. Atlanta to Jo'berg in 3 hours! I hope that they are delivered by the time we leave this summer.

SAA Buys New Fleet

That's got to be a typo, probably should be 500 not 5,000, my Got what is it the Blacbird brought out of moth balls

T.Carr -thats a BOEING not a Junkers JU 52 "Tante JU"

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