South African Airways eyes India market re-entry with Joburg-Mumbai route; to appoint GSA soon
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In an exclusive chat with T3, airline’s Chief Commercial Officer confirmed that the appointment of GSA and Country Manager in India is underway as airline gears up for major India activations. He said if the Mumbai route performs well, Delhi could be the next logical step.
In a strategic move to stamp its presence in the Indian market, South African Airways is set to launch a direct route between Johannesburg and Mumbai, hopefully in 2025. The long-anticipated route was originally scheduled to commence in October 2025 but has been deferred due to delays in aircraft delivery and operational alignments.
“The original plan was to start in October, and we had hoped to announce and launch the Mumbai route during Africa's Travel Indaba. But due to the aircraft delay, it has now been pushed to next year,” said the airline’s Chief Commercial Officer, Tebogo Tsimane. “We're still deciding between the Northern Hemisphere summer or winter. We've set ourselves a deadline of July this year to announce the actual date and, hopefully, publish the schedule and open sales by then.”
Despite the setback, the airline sees the delay as an opportunity to strengthen groundwork in India. One of the key priorities includes the appointment of a General Sales Agent (GSA) and a Country Manager, with internal processes already in motion. “We plan to announce both appointments by the end of June. We’ll be running these processes in parallel to fast-track our India strategy,” the CCO confirmed during an exclusive interaction with T3.
SAA’s return to Mumbai marks a significant milestone as it re-establishes direct air connectivity with India after years of absence. “This will be our first and only Indian gateway at this stage,” he said. “But if Mumbai performs well, Delhi could be the next logical step.”
On the commercial front, the airline is planning aggressive engagement with the Indian travel trade. “We are going to go big. We are going to go loud,” said Tsimane. “The response we’ve received from the Indian trade has been overwhelming and the recent South African Tourism roadshow gave us an incredible platform for the showcase.”
The Johannesburg-Mumbai route will be complemented by interline agreements to ensure wider domestic connectivity across India. “We’ll terminate in Mumbai but offer broader access through partnerships,” he added.
Globally, the airline is also eyeing expansion into Guangzhou via Southeast Asia, as well as possible new entry points in Australia and Southeast Asia, confirmed Tsimane. Currently, the airline operates long-haul routes to São Paulo (from both Johannesburg and Cape Town) and Perth.
Speaking on the sidelines of Indaba and reflecting on airline's performance, the CCO said 2024 and 2025 have been amazing years. “Our long-haul operations have exceeded expectations, domestic traffic has picked up, and we’ve recorded double-digit growth in both passenger numbers and revenue. Since the post-pandemic restart, the trajectory has been strongly upward.”
As South African Airways finalises its India strategy, it’s evident that the country will play a pivotal role in the airline’s international revival. “We’re coming,” the Chief Commercial Officer declared with conviction. “When we launch, our message will be loud and clear: ‘We are here.’ We’ve invested significant time and effort in planning this route and are eagerly looking forward to its rollout,” he added. He also confirmed plans to attend the IATA AGM in Delhi this June, with a series of meetings and activations already lined up around the event.