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Johannesburg - South Africa must be the only country on Earth with three national airlines.
Comair, which operates the low-cost kulula.com airline, says this circumstance poses a threat to the airline industry.
"It's because of the intervention by the former Public Enterprises Minister, Alec Erwin, that we are today saddled with SA Express, SAA and Mango," says Comair joint chief executive Gidon Novick.
Novick explains that in difficult market conditions, such as those currently experienced, airlines struggle to make a living and the existence of state-controlled low-cost airlines such as Mango are unnecessary and a serious threat to the local industry.
"While other airlines (1time and kulula.com) are struggling, Mango can carry on ad infinitum - sponsored, of course, by the taxpayer."
Novick is seemingly elated that Erwin no longer holds the reins at the ministry.
While he has reason to smile about an oil price that has already fallen far from the highs it attained earlier this year, he says the weak rand/dollar exchange rate is concerning.
"The major countermeasure (in the difficult market environment) is to effect cost savings as far as possible. Lanseria airport and our operations there, for instance, have a hugely beneficial impact on the kulula.com cost base."
Comair is steaming ahead with plans for a Malawian airline.
British Airways (BA), a Comair shareholder, has indicated that it is more than prepared to support Comair's expansion plans for southern Africa. British Airways is a private company independent of the British government.
- Sake24
