SAA and other African airlines join forces

African airlines are clubbing together to negotiate better prices and a steady flow of jet fuel, a move to help stave off a potential crisis caused by supply issues and soaring costs.
A committee has been formed - including major carriers such as South African Airways and Kenya Airways - to secure deliveries for 12 months starting in July, African Airlines Association Secretary-General Abderahmane Berthe said during a briefing in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi.
“We are in the last round of negotiations, the process will end in June,” he said.
The talks started even before a weekend of turmoil in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, where airlines threatened to stop flying until further notice in response to surging fuel prices following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. They later called off the plan after the government agreed to hold talks with The Airline Operators of Nigeria trade group to try and seek a resolution. Nigeria has 23 carriers, mostly very small.
In South Africa, the country’s airports operator said some airlines have been cancelling flights due to fuel-supply issues and pledged to remedy the situation. -Fin24