South African Airways' network rebuilding strategy has been set back, as an A320-200 and two A330-200s originally scheduled for delivery in 2025 from various lessors are now expected only in 2026, after their current operators chose to retain the aircraft longer, according to CCO Tebogo Tsimane.

He told Aviation Week at the recent 57th annual general assembly of the African Airlines Association (AFRAA) in Luanda, Angola, that the setback has "put our plan behind. This capacity is important to improve our codeshares and our connectivity because we are a network carrier and we are building a connecting schedule around Johannesburg O.R. Tambo, and then secondarily around Cape Town International."

SAA is looking for additional leased A330s to enter service in the second half of 2026, Tsimane said.

Group CEO John Lamola recently told ch-aviation that two A330-300s from flynas (XY, Riyadh), which were awaiting cabin modifications at Istanbul Airport, are no longer being taken due to high modification costs. He said replacements had been identified but declined to elaborate.

Lamola confirmed to ch-aviation at the AFRAA event that SAA is poised to issue a request for proposals (RFP) for its long-term fleet requirements before the end of 2025. The news was broken by ch-aviation in an earlier interview with Lamola, where he disclosed that SAA plans to purchase 28 new-generation airframes plus accompanying engines to be delivered from 2032 as part of its long-term fleet plan.

The airline is looking to acquire up to 16 widebodies for long-haul routes to be delivered in tranches of five from 2032, plus 12 new-generation narrowbodies, also to be delivered from 2032, to replace the airline’s A320-200s, whose leases are expiring.

Codeshare partnerships

In the meantime, SAA is accelerating its partnership growth, having signed new codeshare agreements with TAAG Angola Airlines in Luanda on December 1. SAA will add its flight code to TAAG-operated flights from Johannesburg and Cape Town to Luanda Dr António Agostinho Neto and onward connections to Lisbon and São Paulo Guarulhos.

This was followed by a codeshare agreement between SAA and Turkish Airlines on December 4, signed alongside a Star Alliance Chief Executive Board meeting in Geneva. SAA will codeshare on Turkish-operated flights from Istanbul to Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban King Shaka, Frankfurt International, Paris CDG, and London Heathrow.

This follows similar commercial partnerships in 2025 with Lufthansa, Emirates, and CemAir.

SAA currently operates an in-house fleet of 18 aircraft, including fourteen leased A320-200s, two leased A330-300s, and two company-owned A340-300s. In addition, it wet-leases one A330-300 from Hi Fly Malta for added capacity regionally to Accra and Abidjan and intercontinentally to Brazil; and two B737-800s from SunExpress to boost domestic capacity over the December peak summer holiday season in South Africa.