South African Airways (SA, Johannesburg O.R. Tambo) is set to drop flights to Buenos Aires Ministro Pistarini with effect from early 2014 as part of the airline's route rationalization plan aimed at turning its flagging fortunes around. According to South Africa's BusinessDay, the move has drawn concern from Argentina which has argued that, of SAA's two South American flights, the other being to São Paulo Guarulhos, Buenos Aires was "the least unprofitable." SAA reportedly lost ZAR50million (USD5million) per year on the route. Spokesman Tlali Tlali said the airline had had to consult its sole shareholder, the South African government, on which routes could be cut as some would have to be maintained in light of their strategic nature. "SAA identified two international destinations, namely Beijing Capital and Buenos Aires, to cease operating in. Decisions of this nature are dependent on the concurrence of the shareholder. We have canvassed the shareholder views in both cases and were successful in the case of Buenos Aires only," Tlali said. Further route cuts are expected once the airline's turnaround plan, its ninth, is announced in 2014. SAA is expected to unveil a new Afro-centric network strategy with emphasis on exploiting the West African market via a secondary hub there.