SAA cools hopes of return to India despite Ramaphosa push

South African Airways has dampened hopes of an imminent return to India despite President Cyril Ramaphosa calling for direct flights between the two countries to be restored.

The national carrier has stopped short of committing to operating Johannesburg-Mumbai again, a route it abandoned in 2015. This comes despite earlier indications that Mumbai was being eyed as part of SAA’s international expansion.

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SAA spokesperson Mphilo Dlamini told The Citizen the airline welcomed Ramaphosa’s call for stronger economic, tourism and people-to-people ties with India. But no route announcement is on the cards.

“Whilst SAA is not currently able to announce the resumption of direct services between South Africa and India, including its former Johannesburg-Mumbai route, the airline regularly assesses market opportunities as part of its network planning and growth strategy,” he said.

Aircraft and money could prove the biggest obstacles. Dlamini said a return would require sufficient operational capacity, suitable fleet availability and the capital to support it. It would also mean returning to a route government officially described as loss-making when SAA pulled out more than a decade ago.

A statement issued in April 2015 said SAA had stopped flying directly to Mumbai and Beijing as part of a 90-day action plan to stabilise its finances. The plan followed intervention in late 2014 as the airline battled losses and liquidity problems.

India, Beijing routes cut in 2015

SAA instead opened a route to Abu Dhabi, which the government said would maintain connections to India, China and other Asian destinations. The move was part of a wider effort to cut costs, including renegotiating supplier contracts and reducing aircraft lease costs. The UAE route was culled less than a year after its launch.

A general view of the check-in and departure areas for South African Airways at Cape Town International Airport on 18 February 2020. Picture: Gallo Images/Jacques Stander

But Mumbai was much closer to returning to SAA’s route map last year than the airline’s latest response may suggest. In May 2025, SAA said it revised plans to relaunch flights to India because it could not secure suitable aircraft. Mumbai had initially been targeted for an October 2025 launch. The airline subsequently pushed the proposed service into 2026.

At the time, SAA chief commercial officer Tebogo Tsimane said Mumbai was one of several Asian routes being considered, with the economics of each service and aircraft availability determining what could actually be flown.

By December 2025, Tsimane said delays in obtaining additional widebody aircraft had put SAA’s international network expansion behind schedule.

Johannesburg-Mumbai has been identified as one of Africa’s largest unserved routes. But whether SAA could make money from it remains another question.

Aviation consultant Sean Mendis told Travel News at the time that India was a huge market but also a low-fare one. He said SAA’s costs and fleet would make it difficult to compete with fares offered by airlines carrying passengers between the countries through their hubs. Ethiopian Airlines alone was carrying about 20 000 passengers a year in the market, according to Mendis.

Circumstances have changed since 2015 – Dlamini

Dlamini said circumstances had changed since SAA last operated the route.

“The aviation market has evolved significantly over time, and India today represents one of the world’s fastest-growing aviation markets and an increasingly important economic partner for South Africa.”

He said growing trade, tourism and strong business and diaspora links presented opportunities for a nonstop connection.

“Any future decision regarding services to India would be based on a thorough assessment of market conditions and commercial sustainability, with a focus on ensuring that any route introduced is aligned with SAA’s long-term growth strategy,” Dlamini said.

“At present, however, the airline remains focused on rebuilding a stronger and more sustainable business, consolidating the performance of its existing network, as it continues to explore growth opportunities at the same time,” he said.

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