Gentlemen,
Dont want to speak out of turn and do an outfit for which I held out hope and opportunity in future, if they can get their act together, an injustice.
Aircraft DC-8-62F 9XR-SD is still in time and should be flying. Dont hear or see much movement though. 9XR-SC is still in Denel and opinion is that costs and hangarage is climbing just a little bit out of control.
My humble opinion is that "time" is catching up with them. Belgian CAA has very sympatheticaly held out possibility that they will withdraw their objections if the company takes steps to rectify and improve their ops.
In this part of the world to successfully fly, your AOC and aircraft must be able to go into the regional cargo hubs (usualy respected and well regulated area's) where slightly better rates are possible, and even to the secondary destinations for better paying cargo in Europe (XCR, CHR, OST).
If you try for long enough to fly in and out of desperation spots on desperate routes where less oversight exists, you will eventualy strangle yourself. Cheap Middle East cargo to Bangui, Chad, Nigeria, Eldorette etc, and some of the other destinations in West Africa can not fund and drive an airline, least of all allow you to grow and save for your maintenance reserve.
Will continue to hold thumbs for SB, there are some very nice and competent people in their org, but seems time is running out.