Following President Cyril Ramaphosa’s address on 24 May 2020, FlySafair will continue with the temporary suspension of its business operations under level 3 of the Government’s Risk Adjusted Strategy to lift the lockdown.
The President announced that air travel for business reasons will be allowed under level 3, but FlySafair remains cautious in its moves to return to the skies. “This prospective permission to fly is wonderful, but we need to better understand what restrictions are going to apply,” says Kirby Gordon, Chief Marketing Officer at FlySafair.
As it stands, flights will not be allowed to commence on 1 June 2020 but will be phased in later, with dates to be announced. FlySafair anticipates additional limitations and regulations to be imposed in order for airlines to become compliant under level 3. The airline eagerly awaits the promulgation of this information from the Department of Transport so that it can plan accordingly.
“We find ourselves in a precarious position. We would of course like to start flying as soon as possible, but the commencement of operations that are unprofitable, thanks to a severely constrained demand, would put us in a worse position than what we might be by simply remaining hunkered down, unless the State chooses to subsidise the aviation industry to kickstart business in South Africa,” remarks Gordon.
The possibility of schedule restrictions, unpredictable changes in regional lockdown levels and the inclusion of additional measures could have an adverse effect on the business if it resumes operations too quickly.
FlySafair is also acutely aware that there will be a decline in demand for business travel with employees being encouraged to work from home and many companies having implemented restrictions on face-to-face meetings.
“We can’t commence operations until it’s viable to do so unless the government intervenes to support air access. This could be achieved in a number of ways, like for example by waiving the fees levied by SOCs like Airports Company SA, Air Traffic and Navigation Services, SA Civil Aviation Authority and SA Weather Service.”
Should conditions become more favourable, FlySafair is poised to mobilise for operations at any stage. “Pushing inventory live for sale can be achieved in hours and having aircraft ready for operation can be done in a day. So from a point of decision to begin operations, the wheels will turn very quickly,” says Gordon.
In the meantime, FlySafair will await further updates from the South African government and continue with readiness planning in order to return its staff and customers safely to the skies.
