SAA says no firm plans to restart Johannesburg–Mumbai flights despite Ramaphosa push

South African Airways (SAA) has told The Citizen it is not in a position to announce the resumption of direct flights between Johannesburg and Mumbai, despite President Cyril Ramaphosa calling for restored direct services between South Africa and India.

What SAA says

SAA spokesperson Mphilo Dlamini said the airline welcomed Ramaphosa’s call for stronger economic, tourism and people‑to‑people ties with India.

“Whilst SAA is not currently able to announce the resumption of direct services between South Africa and India, including its former Johannesburg‑Mumbai route, the airline regularly assesses market opportunities as part of its network planning and growth strategy,”

Dlamini identified potential obstacles to a return: the need for sufficient operational capacity, suitable fleet availability and the capital to support a route. He noted the route had previously been officially described by government as loss‑making when SAA withdrew more than a decade ago.

History of the route and past decisions

SAA stopped flying directly to Mumbai and Beijing in April 2015 as part of a 90‑day action plan designed to stabilise the airline’s finances after intervention late in 2014 amid losses and liquidity problems.

As part of those changes, SAA opened a route to Abu Dhabi intended to maintain connections to India, China and other Asian destinations. That UAE route was culled less than a year after its launch.

Recent attempts to relaunch and fleet challenges

Plans to relaunch flights to India moved forward and then stalled in 2025. In May 2025, SAA said it had revised plans to relaunch flights to India because it could not secure suitable aircraft; Mumbai had initially been targeted for an October 2025 launch and the proposed service was later pushed into 2026.

At the time, SAA chief commercial officer Tebogo Tsimane said Mumbai was one of several Asian routes under consideration and that economics and aircraft availability would determine which services could be flown. By December 2025, Tsimane said delays in obtaining additional widebody aircraft had put SAA’s international network expansion behind schedule.

Market questions

Aviation consultant Sean Mendis told Travel News that, while India is a large market, it is also a low‑fare one. He said SAA’s cost base and fleet would make it difficult to compete with fares offered by carriers routing passengers through their hubs. According to Mendis, Ethiopian Airlines was carrying about 20 000 passengers a year in the market.

SAA’s position going forward

Dlamini said circumstances have changed since 2015 and described India as one of the world’s fastest‑growing aviation markets and an increasingly important economic partner for South Africa. He said any future decision would be based on a thorough assessment of market conditions and commercial sustainability and that SAA is focused on rebuilding a stronger, more sustainable business while it explores growth opportunities.