South African Airways is to resume its service to the Australian city of Perth by the end of April, continuing a restoration of the flag-carrier’s long-haul services.
It has already re-introduced flights to Sao Paulo in Brazil, around six months ago.
SAA’s rebuilding of its network had already been planned before the recent failure of a long-running attempt to privatise the airline.
It had indicated last year that Perth was among the destinations it intended to restore.
The airline will open services on 28 April, operating three-times weekly from Johannesburg.
SAA’s reservations engine indicates the carrier will use Airbus A340-300s on the route.
“This is an important route for both SAA and South Africa. Perth has long been a favoured destination for South African travellers,” says interim chief John Lamola.
South African minister of public enterprises Pravin Gordhan says the Perth relaunch is evidence that SAA is expanding intercontinental flights in its own right, and not just through codeshares.
Lamola adds that the route is “an important step towards realising the airline’s strategic growth plans”.
