SAA has issued a media statement refuting recent press claims that it is losing its routes. 

Yesterday (Thursday, September 29) several mainstream media outlets cited an aviation analyst noting that the troubled national carrier had reportedly lost 20 licences to routes that serve domestic and international passengers.

According to the analyst, the Air Services Licensing Council (ASLC) revoked the licences after the irline was unable to prove that it had sufficient personnel, facilities and equipment to service the routes. 

However, SAA says it is not losing the rights to any of the routes it is currently serving and states that it continues to operate its current network and schedule with six regional and three domestic destinations. 

The airline says it made representation to the International Air Services Licensing Council on its current route allocation and also on the Council’s decision to review some of the frequencies on some of the routes allocated to but currently not served by SAA.

SAA added in the release that it had taken delivery of the first aircraft acquired in the process of rebuilding its fleet and routes. The Airbus A320 arrived last week on September 27. 

The press statement said the airline continued to gain momentum with the intention of resuming full regional and international services. The routes that will be served by the newly acquired aircraft were not disclosed.