South African Airways Technical clinches maintenance agreement with Comair
JOHANNESBURG, 18 July 2007 – South African Airways’ technical subsidiary, SAA Technical (SAAT) has clinched one of its largest and most significant maintenance agreements by forging a deal with Comair to maintain both the British Airways and kulula.comfleets of more than 22 aircraft.
The decision by Comair to move the maintenance of its fleet of Boeing 737-300s and 737-400s to SAAT once again confirms the extent of the organisation’s solid local and international reputation. The agreement extends over five years, and is valued at more than R500m over the period.
SAA CEO Khaya Ngqula says the fact that one of the airline’s competitors has decided to entrust the safety of its aircraft to SAAT is a great compliment and a proud achievement.
“Not only will SAA Technical be able to offer Comair a seamless service, the deal will also boost our revenue and further enhance our already excellent reputation. Comair’s decision to sign up with SAA Technical as its maintenance provider underlines the fact that the standard of maintenance we offer is amongst the best in the world,” he said.
SAA Technical is the largest maintenance facility in Africa, and its dispatch reliability, which affects the on-time departure of aircraft, has consistently remained within the top 5% to 10% when compared to the world’s top carriers. Ensuring that an aircraft departs on time not only helps an airline to grow its revenue, but is also important for customer loyalty and service.
Comair joint CEO Gidon Novick says: “The excellent service levels we have had from SAAT in the past have enabled us to offer high service levels to our customers. We look forward to extending our relationship with SAAT further.”
Until now, Comair aircraft have been maintained by both SAAT and Safair, a subsidiary of Imperial Holdings. Comair currently leases several aircraft from Safair and will continue leasing aircraft from Safair in the future. In addition, the two companies will continue with their successful freight joint venture, called Imperial Air Cargo.
“We are in the process of acquiring several new aircraft as part of our fleet upgrade plan and look forward to placing these in the capable hands of SAAT,” said Novick.
SAAT will do daily and weekly A checks on the aircraft, while component and engine support will be outsourced.
SAA Technical CEO Jan Blake says maintenance on the first of Comair’s aircraft will start on July 1, and will roll out over the coming months to ensure that there is a smooth transition. With the finalisation of the contract, the B737s will be the single largest fleet type under SAAT’s maintenance schedule, which bodes well for the future.
“The B737 is the aircraft for Africa in the future which puts SAA Technical in a good position to bring in additional work from the continent in the coming years. We will be focusing on neighbouring countries to expand our services in line with our strategy of diversifying our revenue stream and sourcing additional work from outside SAA,” he says.
Notes:
-The existing Comair fleet of MD82 aircraft leased from Safair will continue to be maintained by Safair until they have been phased out. They are likely to be phased out within the next 8 months.
-Boeing 737 aircraft currently maintained by Safair will be transferred to SAAT over the next 3 months.