1time airline is back in the news. PAK Africa has now said it plans to launch domestic flights in South Africa, using the brand, by March next year, following PAK Africa’s acquisition of a stake in Global Airways. 
Global Airways is a local Johannesburg-based company that is a subsidiary of British Virgin Islands-based Global Aviation. Its main business is aircraft leasing and maintenance operations but it also operates charter flights from its Johannesburg base.  In August PAK Africa had offered R15 million for 1time Holdings, despite its subsidiaries 1time Airline and Jetworx being liquidated. PAK Africa had also, around the same time, applied for an Air Services Licence (ASL). 

Tabassum Qadir, Chairperson of PAK African Aviation, says the company is still awaiting approval for the purchase of the holding company. “Our corporate advisers are working on it and we are expecting the results in January.”

Andries Ntjane, Deputy Director: Licensing and Permits for the Department of Transport, confirms that Global Airways is licensed to operate scheduled passenger flights but that if PAK Africa plans to operate the flights using this licence, it has to do so as Global Airways. 
He adds that if PAK Africa plans to use the 1time brand, it will need to apply to the Air Services Licensing Council for a name change, at which point the Council would have to analyse the ownership to ensure it complied with foreign ownership regulations. He says PAK Africa’s own application for an ASL has expired.
Further, Ntjane says the council has not been notified of a change to the shareholding of Global Airways. But Qadir says the deal has been finalised and that PAK Africa is already a 62% shareholder in Global Airways. At the time of going to print, Global Airways’ website was down stating it was being updated with “critical information”. Business Day recently reported that Global Aviation, of which Global Airways is a subsidiary, had purchased four new A320 aircraft, which will be used to operate the flights under the revived 1time brand.
PAK Africa also has plans to launch a regional carrier in Zimbabwe. “We want to use the 1time brand all over Africa. Once we’ve got approval from the JSE we will fly in the African skies with the 1time brand,” Qadir says. “We always believed in the 1time brand. The acquisition of 1time Holdings is to revive the brand that is still in people’s hearts deeply. We are getting warm wishes all over and people of Africa want to see 1time back in the sky.”
A few months ago, Global Airways announced plans to resume commercial flights between Johannesburg and Miami via Cape Town in early 2014. It last serviced this route in 2004.