SAA and SunExpress – a joint venture between Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines – entered into a damp lease agreement that will allow SAA to operate a schedule using two SunExpress aircraft for six months, commencing this month. The first of the two aircraft was received on October 11.

The SAA lease covers the provision of aircraft, maintenance, and cockpit crew, while SAA’s cabin crew will serve the aircraft to maintain SAA’s customer service standards.

For maintenance of the aircraft, SunExpress has contracted SAA Technical (SAAT) to perform any required work, at its cost, on these aircraft while SAA operates them.

Under the agreement, two Boeing 737-800 aircraft from Sun Express will operate flights from Johannesburg for SAA during the airline’s high-demand period. The first aircraft started start operations in mid-October, and a second aircraft will be added, depending on the capacity demand by SAA.

John Lamola, Chief Executive of SAA, said: “This unique ACMI leasing agreement is a short-term tactical intervention in SAA’s fleet strategy, as we are working on deploying our long-term dry-leased four A320s.

“We are pleased with our relationship with SunExpress and are excited with its potential as we both manage the seasonality of passenger traffic in our respective geographic markets.”

Tebogo Tsimane, Chief Commercial Officer, expressed appreciation for the way SAA’s loyal customer base had adapted to this experimentation with SAA’s brand since the airline started utilising ACMI fleet acquisition strategy this year.

The airline is currently on a mission to grow its fleet. When SAA relaunched in September 2021, it flew just three routes with six aircraft.

Lamola revealed that the goal was to secure 13 aircraft to service 14 routes by December, including international routes to São Paulo and Abidjan. And, in a first for SAA, a seasonal route between December and February to Gqeberha is on the cards.

EDITOR’S NOTE: What is wet, dry, and damp leasing?

The dry leasing of an aircraft to an airline only includes the aircraft. The airline is then responsible for each operational aspect of the vessel, including all crew, fuel, insurance, and maintenance.

Wet leasing, conversely, means that the lessee is provided with a fully functional aircraft that can also be branded by the airline and carry its own flight number, while damp leasing typically includes the aircraft, cockpit crew, maintenance, and insurance (ACMI).