Hope for SA Express

174

Public Enterprises Deputy Minister Phumulo Masualle says there is a commercial case for SA Express and it can play a role as a feeder airline to service secondary routes and key cities in the Southern African region.

Masualle said this after engaging the business rescue practitioners of SA Express, placed under business rescue on 6 February by an order of the Johannesburg High Court.

The business rescue process was the result of legal action by service provider Ziegler. The service provider, who SA Express contended in its responding papers, was engaged irregularly by previous management of the airline.

Masualle expressed concern about the prospects of job losses at SA Express, as stated by the South African Transport and Allied Workers Union (SATAWU).

The Department of Public Enterprises tasked the SA Express board to seek a Strategic Equity Partner (SEP) to provide working capital in December 2019, due to continued funding requirements at the airline.

This was despite a government injection of R1.5 billion in the last two years.

The business rescue process interrupted the board process to seek a lifeline.

“The key issue in the business rescue process that needs to be resolved is provision of the Post Commencement Finance (PCF) for the airline to enable continued operations. The department is hopeful the business rescue practitioners will be able to raise the PCF,” said the department.

SA Express, which falls within the ambit of the DPE, offers connectivity between primary and secondary domestic destinations in South Africa and five other Southern African Development Community countries.