FlySafair (FA, Johannesburg O.R. Tambo) successfully launched operations on Thursday, October 16 with multiple daily flights between Cape Town International and Johannesburg O.R. Tambo. Operations are on-board a pair of B737-400s with services to Port Elizabeth also on the cards.
The launch date is almost one year to the day after the LCC was originally meant to have launched. Just prior to its original October 17, 2013 launch date, rivals Comair (South Africa) (CAW, Johannesburg O.R. Tambo) and SkyWise (Johannesburg O.R. Tambo) successfully applied for an interdict against the carrier in the North Gauteng High Court claiming FlySafair did not meet the requirement of 75% local ownership.
Since then, the carrier has restructured its ownership by excluding former shareholders while choosing a South African-registered holding company as another shareholder. It has also entered into a Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) deal with its employees.
