SITA to Establish Command Centre and Help Transform SAA’s Technology
Johannesburg, South Africa | April 22, 2014– South Africa’s leading airline, South African Airways (SAA), will outsource its domestic network services and its desktop and associated server support services to air transport IT specialist, SITA. In a five-year deal announced today, SITA will also establish a round-the-clock Command Centre for desktop and network management and will help the airline implement various transformational projects in information technology.

Phinda Ncala, Chief Information Officer, South African Airways, said: “In order to enhance passenger service and ensure we remain competitive in the market, we need to transform the way IT Operations delivers services to the business. This new agreement builds on our long-standing relationship with SITA, and will ensure IT and business alignment, while integrating new innovations and reducing our costs.”

As part of its desktop support services, SITA will provide a catalogue of services to automate delivery processes for authorized users, improving delivery time and quality. In addition, SITA will offer role-based profiling to ensure the airline is providing the right device and service to each user based on their specific needs. The agreement covers 130 international sites, 30 South African sites and more than 7,000 desktop and laptop devices. SITA will also support the airline’s high-speed, resilient domestic network.

Hani El-Assaad, SITA President, Middle East, India and Africa, said: “SITA is helping South African Airways virtualize, standardize and consolidate its IT environment in order to decrease operational costs and increase efficiency. We’re working together to upgrade the airline’s technology and to create new governance in its IT to ensure changes happen in a highly efficient and structured manner. At the same time, we’re collaborating on new innovations like establishing a comprehensive mobility capability and making the most of the airline’s WiFi networks.”

SITA has provided outsourced desktop and associated server and domestic network services to SAA for the last 13 years. This new agreement is an extension of the previous deal. SITA has partnered with Business Connection Limited (BCX), South Africa’s leading systems integrator, who will provide leadership in process standardization as well as technical support specialists. SITA is also working closely with HP, which will manage the airline’s data centre.

SAA is Africa’s most-awarded airline and flies to 40 destinations worldwide. In its domestic market, it has an extensive schedule operating 554 flights in total per week. Regionally, SAA offers 24 destinations across the African continent. SAA’s international network creates links to all major continents from South Africa through 10 direct routes and code shares, with daily flights from Johannesburg. The airline has won the ‘Best Airline in Africa’ Award in the regional category for 11 consecutive years. Mango, its low cost carrier, and SAA hold the number one and number two successive spots as South Africa’s most on-time airlines.

Knutsford, Cheshire, UK | September 6, 2013– IFE Services announced today that it will continue to meet the in-flight entertainment (IFE) needs of its long-standing client, South African Airways.

IFE Services will supply Africa’ s largest airline with top movies from Hollywood, Africa, Asia and other regions plus a broad mix of comedy, kids, nature, lifestyle, arts, business and sports TV programmes. The leading content service provider will also provide informational videos, idents and other original production work when required. As well as managing IFE content acquisition and supply, IFE Services will take care of the airline’s digital file management requirements.

South African Airways is the national flag carrier of South Africa. The airline is the largest on the continent with the biggest route network in Africa, flying to more destinations both overseas and within the region. In 2012, South African Airways was voted the best African airline at the Passenger Choice Awards.

“We’re absolutely delighted to be continuing our close working relationship with South African Airways,” said Andy McEwan, CEO of IFE Services. “We know this highly respected airline very well and remain focused on providing them with great value, innovative entertainment.”

· Etihad Airways to have access to 10 cities in South Africa and African continent
· South African Airways to codeshare on 12 Etihad Airways flights to Abu Dhabi and beyond
· Airlines to explore joint procurement, training and maintenance opportunities
· Provision for reciprocal ‘earn and burn’ with frequent flyer programs

May 7, 2013– Etihad Airways and South African Airways have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) allowing the two airlines to introduce a comprehensive range of codeshare and interline air services as well as explore synergy and efficiency opportunities.

Initially Etihad Airways will place its ‘EY’ code on flights from Johannesburg to 10 South African Airways destinations across South Africa and the African continent as well as South America.

In return South African Airways will place its ‘SA’ code on 12 of Etihad Airways’ global routes flying from the UAE national carrier’s Abu Dhabi home-base.

The agreement also makes provision for passengers to earn and redeem miles through the airlines’ frequent flyer programs.

Secondary phases of the cooperation agreement will explore code sharing to more cities, closer synergies and efficiencies in the key commercial areas of procurement, drive incremental revenue opportunities, ground handling as well as training.

James Hogan, Etihad Airways’ President and Chief Executive Officer, said: “This impressive, multilayered, partnership will enable Etihad Airways and South African Airways to achieve significant goals in several different global markets as well as collaborate on a number of key commercial initiatives.

“This strategy, of working closely with partner airlines to serve secondary cities in a market, has been highly successful for Etihad Airways around the world and we look forward to build upon our already strong relationship with the team at South African Airways to extend our footprint in the strategically critical African market.”

Nico Bezuidenhout, SAA’s acting Chief Executive Officer, said: “This extensive commercial agreement will enable SAA to access the vast majority of Etihad Airways global markets. We are pleased to build upon the commercial areas of the agreement which are fundamental to a modern airline partnership.

Ms Dudu Myeni, SAA’s acting Chairperson, said: “This partnership provides SAA customers with vital, instantaneous, and seamless access to 12 key destinations in the Middle East and beyond. It will also broaden SAA’s network through alliances and strategic partnerships, which, is our long term view.”

The first phase of the agreement will see the ‘SA’ code placed on the Etihad Airways flights between Johannesburg and Abu Dhabi, as well as on flights to 12 cities on Etihad Airways’ worldwide network that includes destinations in Asia, Europe and the Middle East.

Etihad Airways will place its ‘EY’ code on South African Airways’ flights from Johannesburg to Cape Town, Durban, East London and Port Elizabeth, as well as to Livingston, Lusaka, Ndola, Harare, and Victoria Falls. Outside the African continent Etihad Airways will place its code on South African Airways’ flights to Sao Paulo.

Collectively, the two airline groups expect to carry more than 20 million passengers in 2013.

The agreed cooperation between the two airlines is in line with Etihad Airways’ highly successful global alliance strategy in which the Abu Dhabi-based airline works with partner airlines to identify potential areas of cost savings as well as opportunities to achieve economies of scale.

The tie-up coincides with the signing of codeshare agreements between Etihad Airways’ equity alliance partners, Air Seychelles and Jet Airways*, and South African Airways.

Etihad Airway also signed a partnership agreement with Kenya Airways, the national flag carrier of Kenya, and places the Etihad Airways “EY” code on up to 27 Kenya Airways destinations across East and Central Africa.

*Subject to regulatory approval

Annapolis, Maryland, USA, March 8, 2010—Commercial passenger flights and business jets in South Africa can now have better access to important flight messages and data with newly-expanded ACARS® data link coverage from ARINC Incorporated.

In cooperation with South Africa’s Air Traffic and Navigation Services (ATNS), ARINC recently installed a new VHF ACARS data link station at Cape Town, and inaugurated coverage in December. The new station will enable better in-flight data transfer and communications between airline operations and aircraft flight decks.

Cape Town International is South Africa’s second busiest airport and a major gateway for tourists. ARINC is expanding its data link coverage in advance of the 2010 World Cup, which will take place in South Africa during June and July. Teams from 32 nations will play at eight different venues stretched across more than a thousand miles of South Africa. An influx of international visitors and greatly increased air traffic are expected.

“Our Cape Town data link coverage is part of a series of major investments ARINC is making across the whole of the Europe, Middle East and Africa region,” stated Andy Wood, ARINC EMEA Program Director. “New station deployments like this one benefit our European-based airline customers such as Virgin Atlantic and Lufthansa who fly to the African main bases, as well as many international airlines flying to Johannesburg, where we also provide VHF ACARS coverage.”

ARINC VHF ACARS data link service provides airlines with faster and more reliable operational messaging than traditional voice radio. Carriers using data link benefit from greater efficiency and on-time performance.

ARINC’s data link services are built on an integrated worldwide network of VHF and HF ground stations, along with Inmarsat and Iridium satellite networks, to provide seamless data communications to aircraft anywhere in the world. ARINC’s exclusive HFDL (High Frequency Data Link) service gives carriers such as South African Airways cost-effective global coverage across oceans, continents and polar regions while seamlessly interfacing with VHF and SATCOM communications.