SAA returns leased A319s, A320 procurement ongoing

Global/Syranix challenge sidelining in SAA deal

The minority shareholder in the Takatso Consortium is to challenge its recommended sidelining in the sale of South African Airways (SA, Johannesburg O.R. Tambo) before South Africa's Competition Tribunal.

"Our main challenge will be that we have not, as reported, agreed to sell our shares," confirmed Gidon Novick, who represents Takasto minority shareholders Global Aviation Operations and management consultancy Syranix, which also own the Lift Airlines (LIFT) brand that competes with SAA domestically.

The Competition Commission, which advises on antitrust matters, sees a conflict of interest between Global/Syranix's ownership of LIFT and its planned co-ownership of SAA. It has made the minority shareholders' divestment from Takatso a condition for approving the semi-privatisation deal that would see Takatso take a 51% share, with the government retaining 49%. Takatso's majority shareholder is Harith General Partners, an asset management firm that owns Lanseria airport near Johannesburg. Novick says Global/Syranix have also reached out to Harith to find a solution.

The Competition Commission has alleged that all parties to the transaction have agreed that Global/Syranix...

SAA returns to growth, moots Brazil for longhaul return

Lufthansa to add four ex-LATAM A350-900s

Lufthansa Group has signed an agreement to acquire four incremental A350-900s from Deucalion Aviation, continuing its strategy of opportunistic A350 fleet growth.

The four aircraft will deliver later this year. But while the carrier did not provide any more information regarding the identity of the aircraft, the ch-aviation fleets ownership module shows the Dutch lessor owns only four A350-900s. The ex-LATAM Airlines Brasil aircraft are of 2016 (three units) and 2019 (one) vintage, and have been parked at Victorville since 2020-2021. LATAM Airlines Group retired its entire A350 fleet during Chapter 11 restructuring in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Earlier reports suggested that Lufthansa Group was also targeting two more second-hand A350-900s, formerly operated by South African Airways (SA, Johannesburg O.R. Tambo) and owned by Park Aerospace Holdings.

The German holding currently operates twenty-one A350-900s, including four ex-Philippine Airlines (PR, Manila Ninoy Aquino International) units added in the first half of 2022. It has a firm order for a further...

Germany's USC inks A340 P2F conversions with Avensis

German startup USC (Germany) [Universal Sky Carrier] will be the launch customer of Avensis Aviation's P2F cargo conversion programme for A340-300 and A340-600s, according to an announcement by the UK-based engineering and design business.

"Thrilled that USC has become the launch client for our top-of-the-range conversion solution NAVIS, for their Airbus A340-300s and A340-600s aircraft fleet," Avensis Aviation, which specialises in passenger to freighter (P2F) conversions, announced on social media.

The startup plans to enter ACMI service this summer with two passenger A340s from its base at Frankfurt Hahn, but intends to convert them into freighters later. As reported, it received its first two aircraft from South African Airways (SA, Johannesburg O.R. Tambo): an A340-300, D-AUSC (msn 646), and A340-600 D-AUSZ (msn 557). Both are parked at Frankfurt Hahn, ADS-B data shows.

According to Avensis Aviation, the Navis P2F conversion is the company's flagship product and features a "first-of-its-kind" entirely electrically operated "plug-type" main deck cargo door. This reduces maintenance complexity whilst increasing operational safety by design, making it impossible...