Goodbye Mumbai: SAA plans exit

South African Airways A330-200. Airbus and ExM Company/P. Masclet

The route will be serviced by Air China as part of a codeshare agreement. Air China will begin direct services to South Africa in May.

South African Airways is planning to end flights to Mumbai as part of changes to its loss-making international routes.

Chief executive Nico Bezuidenhout said SAA would also cut its Beijing route in the first week of April.

The route will be serviced by Air China as part of a codeshare agreement. Air China will begin direct services to South Africa in May.

SAA has already cutback capacity on its Mumbai route and – subject to approval – will look at fully withdrawing from the route.

For the year ending March 2014, SAA recorded a R235 million (US$20.4m) increase in operating losses to R1.6 bn.

A weak rand and high fuel prices had affected the financials, said CFO Wolf Meyer.