Speculation rife of alliance with Cathay
SOUTH AFRICAN Airways will stop flying to Japan from the end of this month as part of its policy of withdrawing from what it terms 'unprofitable routes'
Instead, cargo which the airline normally handles on the route will, in future, be diverted to Japan Airlines from Hong Kong in terms of the codeshare agreement between the two airlines.
At the same time SAA has announced that it has renewed its codesharing arrangements with Thai International Airways. SAA aircraft will fly to Bangkok, via Singapore, four times a week instead of the three direct flights a week to Bangkok.
This, says the airline, is part of beefing up its presence in the southeast Asian market, which was started with a return to the Singapore route, where freight loads have proved excellent.
Speculation is now rife in the industry that SAA will shortly ally itself to Cathay Pacific Airlines, the leader in the Hong Kong region. This comes as a result of the announcement by SAA that it was 'on the verge of finalising arrangements with strong partners in the Asian region' to upgrade its services.
If SAA links with Cathay, it means they will have allies in two opposing camps. Singapore Airlines, with which it already has an alliance, is associated with the Star alliance of global airlines led by Lufthansa, while competitor Cathay has joined the One World alliance led by British Airways.
