Safair
{{short description|South African airline}}
{{about|the South African charter airline|its subsidiary, the South African low-cost carrier|FlySafair}}
{{EngvarB|date=May 2018}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2018}}
{{Infobox airline
| airline = Safair
| logo = Safair logo.svg
| IATA = FA
| ICAO = SFR
| callsign = CARGO
| founded = 1965
| headquarters = Dublin, Ireland, Ireland
| key_people =
| hubs = O.R. Tambo International Airport
| focus_cities =
| frequent_flyer =
| lounge =
| alliance =
| fleet_size = 34
| destinations =
| website = {{URL|flysafair.co.za/}}
| image =
| aoc =
| num_employees =
}}
Safair is an airline based at the O.R. Tambo International Airport in Kempton Park, South Africa.{{cite web|url=http://www.safair.co.za/contact |title=Contact |publisher=Safair |access-date=30 July 2015}} It operates one of the world's largest fleets of civil Lockheed L-100 Hercules cargo aircraft.[http://www.flightglobal.com/assets/getAsset.aspx?ItemID=35716&tracked=1 Flight International 2010 World Airliner census]. Retrieved 27 August 2010Flight International 12–18 April 2005
History
Safair Operations as it is known today was established in 1965. At the time it was known as Tropair (Pty) Ltd and was a general aviation charter company. In 1970 the company name changed to Safair Freighters (Pty) Ltd when the company was purchased by Safmarine and the new entity began operations on 18 March 1970. Its primary client in the 1980s was the South African Defence Force.{{Cite web|last=Secrets|first=Open|date=2017-08-16|title=Declassified: Apartheid profits – The Sanctions Busters' Toolkit|url=https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2017-08-17-declassified-apartheid-profits-the-sanctions-busters-toolkit/|access-date=2022-01-13|website=Daily Maverick|language=en}}
Safair is a Level 4 BBBEE contributor. Safair Operations (PTY) LTD has been independently verified in accordance with the Codes of Good Practice, issued in terms of section 9(1) of the Broad Black Based Economic Empowerment Act 53 of 2003 as Amended per Act 46 of 2013 (Gazette 37271 of 27 January 2014). Safair is an affiliate airline of ASL Aviation Holdings. Humanitarian Aid and Relief operations has always been Safair's "niche" market. Safair assists aid and relief agencies such as the United Nations, World Food Programme, and the International Committee of the Red Cross in delivering much needed humanitarian aid to stricken regions on the African continent as well as other areas in the world where such assistance is required.{{Cite web |title=UN World Food Programme (WFP) |url=https://www.wfp.org/ |access-date=2024-02-28 |website=www.wfp.org |language=en}}
Until 2018, Safair was contracted to the Italian Antarctic Program (National Antarctic Research Program (PNRA)) to support science over the austral summer, flying Lockheed L-100-30 missions from Christchurch, New Zealand to Zucchelli Station in Terra Nova Bay, Antarctica. In 2007, Safair obtained its IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA){{Cite web|url=http://www.iata.org/whatwedo/safety/audit/iosa/Pages/index.aspx|title=IATA – IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA)|last=IATA|website=iata.org|access-date=31 August 2017}} approval.
Fleet
File:Safair Boeing 737-300 Lebeda.jpg
File:ZS-ORA@LIM,30.06.2008-519ai - Flickr - Aero Icarus.jpg
{{As of |July 2019}} the Safair fleet consists of the following aircraft:[https://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/prnewswire/DA69764.htm "ASL Aviation Group Signs Letter of Intent to Procure Lockheed Martin LM-100J Freighters" – CNN MONEY]. Retrieved 16 July 2014[http://www.safair.co.za/fleet "Our Fleet" – Safair]. Retrieved 12 December 2013
| class="wikitable" style="white-space:nowrap; border-collapse:collapse; margin:auto;"
|+ Safair fleet |
| Aircraft
! In fleet ! On order ! Notes |
|---|
| Boeing 737-800
| style="text-align:center;"|7 | |Passenger |
| Boeing 737-400
| style="text-align:center;"|10 | |Passenger |
| Boeing 737-400C
| style="text-align:center;"|1 | |
| Lockheed L-100-30 Hercules
| style="text-align:center;"|6 | |Freight only, passenger only, or combi |
| Lockheed Martin LM-100J
| | style="text-align:center;"|10 |Ordered in 2014 to replace current L-100s |
| Total
!24 !10 ! |
=Previously operated=
- ATR 72Klee, Ulrich & Bucher, Frank et al. jp airline-fleets international. Zürich-Airport, 1966–2007
- Beechcraft 1900DKlee, Ulrich & Bucher, Frank et al. jp airline-fleets international. Sutton, UK, 2008–2013
- Boeing 707-320[https://kiosk.flysafair.co.za/about-us/history-of-safair "History of Safair" – Safair]. Retrieved 25 March 2022
- Boeing 727-100{{citation needed|date=August 2015}}
- Boeing 727-200
- Boeing 737-200
- British Aerospace 146-100QT{{citation needed|date=August 2015}}
- British Aerospace 146-200QC{{citation needed|date=August 2015}}
- CASA CN-235
- Convair 580{{citation needed|date=August 2015}}
- Lockheed L-100-20 Hercules
- McDonnell Douglas MD-81
- McDonnell Douglas MD-82
- Partenavia P.68B{{citation needed|date=August 2015}}
- Partenavia AP.68TP-600 Viator{{citation needed|date=August 2015}}
Reliability and on-time performance
In October 2023, Safair was the most reliable low-cost carrier according to Cirium's On-Time Performance rankings.[https://www.cirium.com/resources/on-time-performance/ Cirium's On-Time Performance rankings] In October 2023, Safair flights arrived on time 90.81% of the time.{{Cite web |title=The Monthly On-Time Performance Report – October 2023 |url=https://www.cirium.com/thoughtcloud/cirium-monthly-on-time-performance-report-2023/ |access-date=2023-11-16 |website=Cirium |language=en-US}}
FlySafair
{{Main|FlySafair}}
In 2013, Safair created a low-cost carrier operating under a separate brand called FlySafair. The initial plan to operate flights in October 2013 had to be cancelled, as a result of a High Court application by Comair.{{cite web|url=http://www.southafrica.to/transport/Airlines/Safair/Safair-flights.php |title=Safair Flights, Bookings | SFR Flights |publisher=Southafrica.to |access-date=31 July 2015}} FlySafair is currently operational, with the first flight having taken place on 16 October 2014.{{cite news |last=Ensor |first=Linda |date=17 October 2014 |title=FlySafair will bring needed competition |url=http://www.bdlive.co.za/business/transport/2014/10/17/flysafair-will-bring-needed-competition |newspaper=Business Day|location=Johannesburg |access-date=13 January 2015 }} FlySafair operates passenger flights between Cape Town, George, PortElizabeth,Johannesburg, Lanseria, Durban, Bloemfontein, KMIA, East London, Zanzibar, Mauritius, Harare, Livingstone,Victoria Falls and Maputo.{{Cite web|title=FlySafair|url=https://www.domesticflights-southafrica.co.za/flysafair/|access-date=2021-01-27|website=Domestic Flights South Africa|language=en-US}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{commons category-inline|Safair}}
- [https://www.safairoperations.com Official website]
{{Portalbar|South Africa|Companies|Aviation}}
{{Airlines of South Africa}}
{{IATA members|africa}}
{{Witwatersrand companies}}
Category:Airlines of South Africa
Category:Airlines established in 1965
Category:Cargo airlines of South Africa
Category:Companies based in Ekurhuleni