Comair/BA/SAA/Mango
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: mpumalanga
Age: 53
Posts: 20
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Comair/BA/SAA/Mango
Johannesburg - South Africa must be the only country on Earth with three national airlines.
Comair, which operates the low-cost kulula.com airline, says this circumstance poses a threat to the airline industry.
"It's because of the intervention by the former Public Enterprises Minister, Alec Erwin, that we are today saddled with SA Express, SAA and Mango," says Comair joint chief executive Gidon Novick.
Novick explains that in difficult market conditions, such as those currently experienced, airlines struggle to make a living and the existence of state-controlled low-cost airlines such as Mango are unnecessary and a serious threat to the local industry.
"While other airlines (1time and kulula.com) are struggling, Mango can carry on ad infinitum - sponsored, of course, by the taxpayer."
Novick is seemingly elated that Erwin no longer holds the reins at the ministry.
While he has reason to smile about an oil price that has already fallen far from the highs it attained earlier this year, he says the weak rand/dollar exchange rate is concerning.
"The major countermeasure (in the difficult market environment) is to effect cost savings as far as possible. Lanseria airport and our operations there, for instance, have a hugely beneficial impact on the kulula.com cost base."
Comair is steaming ahead with plans for a Malawian airline.
British Airways (BA), a Comair shareholder, has indicated that it is more than prepared to support Comair's expansion plans for southern Africa. British Airways is a private company independent of the British government.
Comair, which operates the low-cost kulula.com airline, says this circumstance poses a threat to the airline industry.
"It's because of the intervention by the former Public Enterprises Minister, Alec Erwin, that we are today saddled with SA Express, SAA and Mango," says Comair joint chief executive Gidon Novick.
Novick explains that in difficult market conditions, such as those currently experienced, airlines struggle to make a living and the existence of state-controlled low-cost airlines such as Mango are unnecessary and a serious threat to the local industry.
"While other airlines (1time and kulula.com) are struggling, Mango can carry on ad infinitum - sponsored, of course, by the taxpayer."
Novick is seemingly elated that Erwin no longer holds the reins at the ministry.
While he has reason to smile about an oil price that has already fallen far from the highs it attained earlier this year, he says the weak rand/dollar exchange rate is concerning.
"The major countermeasure (in the difficult market environment) is to effect cost savings as far as possible. Lanseria airport and our operations there, for instance, have a hugely beneficial impact on the kulula.com cost base."
Comair is steaming ahead with plans for a Malawian airline.
British Airways (BA), a Comair shareholder, has indicated that it is more than prepared to support Comair's expansion plans for southern Africa. British Airways is a private company independent of the British government.
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: France
Age: 83
Posts: 194
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
It's all part of the "rainbow image"
You can fly on a "Green One" on Monday an "Orange One" on Wednesday and a "White One" on Friday night !!
Wot are you whingin' about.
You can fly on a "Green One" on Monday an "Orange One" on Wednesday and a "White One" on Friday night !!
Wot are you whingin' about.
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Shower house of Africa
Posts: 273
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Its easy for certain people to "bash" the national airline BUT who maintains comair's aircraft ? As the age old saying goes... DONT BITE the hand that feeds you
Exactly, Ghost_Rider737, after all the people that have left SAA tech the question really is:
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: south africa
Posts: 64
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
The only reason Novick wants an end to SAA/SAX/Mango is so he can push his prices up! Take a look at Airlinks prices on sectors where there's no competition - they're sky high! Same would happen with Comair.
With the national carriers out of the picture, will Comair/BA/kalula (or whatever they want to call themselves) maintain their fares? I doubt it! Novick (like most businessmen) wants to get RID of the competition - not encourage it!
Careful what you wish for Mr Pax! One day you might just get it!
With the national carriers out of the picture, will Comair/BA/kalula (or whatever they want to call themselves) maintain their fares? I doubt it! Novick (like most businessmen) wants to get RID of the competition - not encourage it!
Careful what you wish for Mr Pax! One day you might just get it!
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: lanseria area
Posts: 25
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
maybe so, but it is the masters of this practice at SAA , whether the new regime or the old , who have set the standard of dirty tricks and getting rid of the oppositon in the aviaition industry. An airline who cannot make a profit and has to "borrow " 17 billion rand from the taxpayer is just a liability !
"Its easy for certain people to "bash" the national airline BUT who maintains comair's aircraft ? As the age old saying goes... DONT BITE the hand that feeds you" ....
the truth is the other way round, Comair is the one who is feeding SAA technical , without whom they would have to borrow even more money from the taxpayer to be able to stay afloat!!!
"Its easy for certain people to "bash" the national airline BUT who maintains comair's aircraft ? As the age old saying goes... DONT BITE the hand that feeds you" ....
the truth is the other way round, Comair is the one who is feeding SAA technical , without whom they would have to borrow even more money from the taxpayer to be able to stay afloat!!!
Last edited by springbok702; 19th Oct 2008 at 05:05.
Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: Dubai
Age: 56
Posts: 469
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Novick (like most businessmen) wants to get RID of the competition
As for who maintains Comair's aircraft, I guess Comair PAY SAA for the work?
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Behind 1480mm RHA equivalent
Posts: 687
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Yeah, as Avi8 said, Comair PAYS SAAT, just like any other business deal...duh! Comments such as 'DONT BITE the hand that feeds you' implies that SAAT somehow does the work out of kindness and love. NOT.
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Down the airway.
Posts: 689
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
But was not SAA flights with HS 748 doing all regionals in SA before Comair got into serious regional excercise. Was not Comair only flying to out stations using DC3s.
If so-then you cannot complain if competition was there already when you started to expansion your route structure?
If so-then you cannot complain if competition was there already when you started to expansion your route structure?
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: RSA
Posts: 164
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
It’s just so strange that Mr. “Hypocrite” Novick’s bleeding heart for the SA tax payer suddenly goes quiet when it’s more profitable to have SAA Technical, “the state sponsored evil one”, keep his a/c in the air. He knows his profits will be gone if he had to go somewhere else or start his own AMO. It’s nice to expand knowing the “evil one” will ensure were ever you shut down your engines, there will be an “evil one’s” staff member ensuring you may start up again under the “cheap” maintenance contract you negotiated. Yes he pays for it but it’s so cheap he signed for five (5) years at a time, ensuring the “evil one” has his back on the operation side. His whining reminds me of the old government and Apartheid……Africa united against SA with sanctions and publicly cutting all ties, blah blah blah………but late at night “ghost” freighter a/c will land at JHB, no makings, registrations removed loading food…….If SAA privatize (lets pray), and still operating as normal??? and some airline goes down, who will they blame then?Go back to the Nationwide threads, blaming VB for everything that’s going wrong, but when it went down, SAA was blamed………what really caused the failure was shoddy maintenance and VB………read the thread about 1time and the unions vs the “smiling assassin”……the comments…”its the beginning of the end”……when they fail…who will be blamed?……SAA…….I’m not saying SAA is right but let’s keep some perspective……just be careful what you wish for…..you might just get it!!!!!
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Globe Trotter
Age: 60
Posts: 43
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Comair
Erazer you are way off base and obviously are bitter and twisted towards Comair. The truth is, Comair signed a 5 year deal with SAAT because it was the only option open to them to keep the aircraft maintained after Safair asked to be released from their contract. It was a measure to safeguard the airline and I can assure you it was not cheap. It gave Comair breathing space to look at other options, including setting up their own AMO.
Yes the Novicks are not angels but they DO know how to run a profitable airline. Enough said.
Yes the Novicks are not angels but they DO know how to run a profitable airline. Enough said.