Safair

Safair
IATA
FA		 ICAO
SFR		 Callsign
SAFAAIR
Founded March 1969
Hubs O.R. Tambo International Airport
Fleet size 10
Destinations Johannesburg, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth.
Company slogan Experience. Expertise. Excellence
Parent company ASL Aviation Group Limited
Headquarters Kempton Park, Gauteng, South Africa
Website www.safair.co.za

Safair is an aviation company based at the O.R. Tambo International Airport in Kempton Park South Africa.[1] Operator of one of the world's largest fleets of civil Lockheed L-100 Hercules cargo aircraft,[2] it also conducts aircraft chartering; leasing and sales; contract operations and leasing services; flightcrew leasing and training; aircraft maintenance and modification; aviation safety and medical training; and operations support.[3]

History

It was first established as an airline in March 1969 by Safmarine and started operations on 18 March 1970. Its primary client in the 1980s was the South African Defence Force. Until the 1990s it mainly served the local and regional air cargo market. In 1991 it diversified into aircraft maintenance and overnight courier operations before concentrating on leasing and chartering. In 1998 it purchased a 49% stake in Air Contractors, based in Ireland, and was itself acquired by Imperial Holdings for $40 million in December 1998. In July 1999 Safair acquired control of National Airways Corporation and Streamline Aviation (a charter and aircraft sales company). It is wholly owned by ASL Aviation Group Ltd based in Dublin, Ireland,[4] a subsidiary of the Belgian group Compagnie Maritime Belge[5]

Fleet

Safair Boeing 737-300 at Sharjah International Airport
Safair Lockheed L-100-30 Hercules

As of July 2014 the Safair fleet consists of the following aircraft:[6][7]

Safair Fleet
Aircraft In Fleet On Order Notes
Boeing 737-300QC 1 Convertible between passenger and freight configuration
Boeing 737-300F 2 Freight only
Boeing 737-400 1 Combi aircraft
Lockheed L-100-30 Hercules 6 Freight only, passenger only, or combi
Lockheed LM-100J 10 Ordered at Farnborough 2014 to replace current L-100's
Total 10 10

FlySafair

Main Article: FlySafair

In 2013, Safair created a low-cost carrier subsidiary called FlySafair. The initial plan to operate flights in October 2013 had to be cancelled, as a result of a high-court application by Comair.[8] FlySafair is currently operational with the first flight having taken place on the 16th of October 2014.[9]

References

  1. ↑ http://www.safair.co.za/contact
  2. ↑ Flight International 2010 World Airliner census retrieved 27 August 2010
  3. ↑ Flight International 12–18 April 2005
  4. ↑ "ASL | Welcome". Aslaviationgroup.com. 2013-01-16. Retrieved 2013-05-02.
  5. ↑ About us - History, ASL Aviation official website
  6. ↑ "ASL Aviation Group Signs Letter of Intent to Procure Lockheed Martin LM-100J Freighters" - CNN MONEY retrieved 16 July 2014
  7. ↑ "Our Fleet" - Safair retrieved 12 December 2013
  8. ↑ "http://www.southafrica.to/transport/Airlines/Safair/Safair-flights.php" retrieved 11 October 2014
  9. ↑ Ensor, Linda (17 October 2014). "FlySafair will bring needed competition". Business Day (Johannesburg). Retrieved 13 January 2015.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Safair.