South African Airways Reinvents Its Wide-Body Operations Across South Africa, Brazil, Australia, Ghana, Nigeria, Mauritius, and Ivory Coast, Leveraging Advanced Aircraft and Streamlined Routes for Future Growth – Travel And Tour World

South African Airways has operated a diverse fleet of wide-body aircraft throughout its history, including both Airbus and Boeing models. The airline launched its wide-body jet service in 1971 by adding a brand-new Boeing 747 to its fleet.

Throughout the following decades, the airline significantly grew its wide-body fleet, operating up to approximately 20 Boeing 747s during the 1990s. This fleet included several variants such as the 747SP, 747-200, 747-300, and 747-400 series, with operations spanning from the early 1970s until 2010.

The inaugural Boeing 747 entered service in October 1971, while the last of these iconic aircraft was retired in late 2010. The final 747 in service had a three-class seating configuration accommodating 335 passengers and had joined the fleet in the late 1990s.

Following the retirement of the 747 models, the airline transitioned to newer wide-body aircraft, replacing them primarily with Airbus A340-600s. These aircraft, while newer, offered slightly less seating capacity. The first two A340-600 aircraft arrived in late 2002, joining subsequent additions of Airbus A340-200 and A340-300 variants in the following years. The A340-200s were fully phased out by 2011, many A340-300s retired by 2018, and the last of the A340-600s left the fleet between 2020 and 2021, largely due to the impacts of the global pandemic.

A significant fleet modernization took place toward the end of 2019 with the acquisition of the Airbus A350-900. This state-of-the-art aircraft represented a substantial upgrade aimed at replacing the older A330 and A340 models to enhance operational efficiency and passenger comfort.

However, the COVID-19 pandemic dramatically altered the airline’s fleet strategy. Three A350-900 aircraft were retired in early 2020, with their final scheduled flights occurring in mid-April of the same year. These relatively young jets were subsequently transferred to other carriers, with some joining European and African airlines.

At present, the airline maintains a small wide-body fleet made up of two Airbus A340-300s and two Airbus A330-300s. The A340-300 aircraft have been in service since 2011, while the A330-300s joined the fleet more recently. One of the A330-300s, introduced in 2016, was temporarily withdrawn due to the pandemic but rejoined the airline in early 2024 after a period of inactivity and brief service with another operator. The second A330-300 has been with the airline since 2017, although it experienced an extended grounding during the height of the pandemic.

These wide-body aircraft primarily operate out of the airline’s main hub in Johannesburg, serving routes across Africa, South America, and Australia. The A330-300 aircraft also operate transatlantic routes departing from Cape Town. Key destinations include cities such as Abidjan, Accra, Lagos, Perth, Port Louis, and Sao Paulo, with the latter being the busiest long-haul route for these aircraft.

Flight schedules include multiple weekly services connecting Johannesburg to Accra, Accra to Abidjan, Johannesburg to Lagos, and routes linking Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Sao Paulo. Some flights to Mauritius typically use narrow-body aircraft but occasionally feature wide-body planes on select schedules. The Johannesburg-Perth route, operating almost daily except on certain days, has also seen increasing competition since late 2023.

Before the pandemic, the airline maintained a larger wide-body operation with more than 20 aircraft, including Airbus A330-200, A330-300, A340-300, A340-600, and A350-900 models. Its extensive route network connected Johannesburg to multiple continents, flying to destinations in North America, Europe, Africa, South America, and Asia.

Some of the notable long-haul routes before 2020 included flights from Johannesburg to Washington D.C., Frankfurt, London, Munich, New York, and Hong Kong, among others. The airline ceased flights to Hong Kong in late 2019 and has not resumed service since.

From late 2019 to early 2020, the airline operated over 7,500 flights with its wide-body fleet across scheduled, charter, and special services. During this period, the Airbus A330-300 and A330-200 models accounted for the majority of flights, followed by the A340-600, A340-300, and A350-900. The A350-900 saw increased utilization in early 2020 before operations were scaled back due to the pandemic.

In recent years, the airline re-established a transatlantic connection originating from Cape Town, continuing operations to Sao Paulo using Airbus A330 aircraft.

Overall, the wide-body fleet has undergone considerable transformation influenced by technological advancements, market demands, and external challenges such as the global health crisis. Today’s operation maintains a focus on key international routes, balancing capacity with evolving travel trends.