South African domestic airline Comair is renewing its fleet which operates under the British Airways and Kulula.com brands with younger secondhand aircraft.
The airline has acquired through finance leases three Boeing 737-300s from Qantas to be operated under the BA brand. Comair is looking to replace three low-fare Kulula.com brand 737-400s with four Boeing MD-82s, to be operated as a totally separate fleet with a specific pilot pool and cabin crew. The -400s will be transferred to the BA brand. The airline will phase out five of its ageing 737-200s flying for BA.
Comair service delivery director Bert van der Linden says no decision has been taken on the source or acquisition method for the MD-82s. However, the airline is understood to be looking at ex-Sun Air MD-82s owned by South African leasing company Safair.
Comair does not plan to establish a multi-hub network in Africa to compete with South African Airways. "Our hub will remain Johannesburg and our services will probably be more point-to-point in Africa," says Van der Linden.
He dismisses as "premature" suggestions that Comair may drop the BA brand. "Our franchise agreement has another three years to go. At this stage, we would like the BA brand to continue subject to successful negotiations."
South African Airways (SAA) has streamlined its regional network in conjunction with feeder carriers South African Express (SAX) and SA.Airlink. The latter's chief executive Rodger Foster says that SAA determines which routes do not work for it anymore and passes these on to its sister company SAX, which in turn transfers its unprofitable routes on to SA Airlink - in which SAA holds a 10% stake.Source: Flight International
