Defunct South African LCC SkyWise (Johannesburg O.R. Tambo) has been sold to a South African private equity firm, Motlekar Holdings.

The carrier said in a statement that Faizal Motlekar has now been appointed airline chairman replacing Tabassum Qadir, now Director of PIA - Pakistan International Airlines' Customer & Premier Service division, and Javid Malik, who has been linked to the CEO position at Mango Airlines (MNO, Johannesburg O.R. Tambo).

PAK Africa Holdings acquired control of the carrier back in October 2014. Following certification, it commenced regular shuttle flights in March 2015 between Johannesburg O.R. Tambo and Cape Town International using B737-400 equipment.

However, problems started to arise barely six months later when the Airports Company of South Africa (ACSA), the firm which manages Johannesburg O.R. Tambo and Cape Town airports, barred the airline from using either airfield pending the settlement of outstanding debts. Although it was able to reach a settlement several days later, the same problems caused yet another suspension of operations in early December 2015. The LCC has been grounded ever since.

Motlekar said in a press release that the rejuvenated SkyWise would also employ Chinese-manufactured aircraft but did not mention which niche it would operate in.

"The expansion won't be without major challenges. The company will have to set up a large amount of infrastructure in order to support its newly introduced fleet," he said. "To do that we will have to have spares and technical support, a customer support infrastructure to be able to support planes manufactured in China."