Party pushes for SAA to stay national

A South African Airways aircraft is seen at O.R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, South Africa. [Reuters]

South African Airways (SAA) should be retained as a national airline but requires substantial restructuring, the governing African National Congress party’s Secretary-General Ace Magashule said yesterday.

SAA is running short of cash after the government failed to provide two billion rand ($138 million) of emergency funding it promised when the airline entered a form of bankruptcy protection last month.

“We emphasise at this point that SAA should be retained as a national airline...,” Magashule said.