■ SOUTH AFRICA: (Pics) kulula's rebranding campaign mocks South African Airways.

kulula (MN), the South African LCC known for its edgy advertising campaigns and humour, has taken it a step further by rebranding itself as "The Most South African Airways", a development likely to cause some backlash from South African Airways (SA), with whom parent company, Comair Ltd, is currently in court with, disputing the legality of SAA's bailouts.

■ SOUTH AFRICA: Comair Ltd takes SAA's current and previous bailouts to the High Court; disputes their legality.

South Africa's Comair Ltd, the British Airways (BA) franchise owner for South Africa and owner of LCC kulula (MN), is to dispute the legality of South African national carrier, South African Airways (SA)'s ZAR5billion bail out from Government last year and its previous injections amounting to ZAR11billion, in the High Court in Pretoria tomorrow.

► GABON: Nationale Regionale Transport dominates domestic market in 2012 says AdL.

Gabon's Nationale Regionale Transport (NRG) has come out Gabon's most dominant domestic carrier for the year 2012, according to statistics released by L’aéroport de Libreville (Libreville Airport - AdL). Nationale saw a 7% increase in passengers carried on 2011.

■ SOUTH AFRICA: SAA's ninth turnaround plan in 13 years will work because it is "cutting edge" claims Myeni.

South African Airways (SAA) acting board chairman Ms. Duduzile Myeni claims that the airline's latest turnaround plan, its ninth in 13 years, set to be presented on either March 28 or 2 April, will be "cutting edge" and will be more successful than its eight predecessors because it has been developed and "owned by our own people".

■ SOUTH AFRICA: NTM calls off strike, to take dispute with SAA to Labour Courts.

South Africa's National Transport Movement trade union has ended its 28 day strike but said it will seek an order from the South African Labour Court this week to compel South African Airways (SA) to grant it recognition rights. 

► SOUTH AFRICA: SAA seeks to alter Airbus A320 deal to lease, not buy.

South Africa's loss making parastatal, South African Airways (SA), is to renegotiate its deal with Airbus Industrie SAS signed 11 years ago for 20 Airbus A320s. The cash strapped national carrier is said to be looking to lease the aircraft, as opposed to buying them, thereby allowing SAA to recuperate pre-delivery payments it made to purchase the aircraft, bringing in some much needed liquidity into the struggling airline.

► ANGOLA: SAA switches Lagos, Luanda to A340-300 from late March.

According to AirlineRoute, as per the 14FEB13 GDS timetable and inventory display, South African Airways (SA) is to adjust its operational aircraft in service to Lagos and Luanda, effective 31MAR13. The Airbus A340-300 aircraft will replace the A340-600 in service in the routes currently.

■ SOUTH AFRICA: SAA board suspends Acting CEO Vuyisile Kona; Mango's Bezuidenhout now in power.

South African Airways (SA) has flown into yet more board room trouble as reports emerge that it has now placed its acting CEO, Vuyisile Kona, on precautionary suspension, effective immediately.

► SOUTH AFRICA: Comair Ltd, SAA, SA Airlink set sights on regional expansion.

South African Airways (SA), its subsidiary SA Airlink (4Z) and competitor Comair Ltd, the British Airways franchise holder in South Africa in addition to owning LCC Kulula, have applied for new frequencies to the Democratic Republic of the Congo amongst other destinations as South African carriers seek to broaden their market bases.

■ SOUTH AFRICA: NTM to continue strike despite reaching deal with SAA on enumeration parameters.

Despite reaching a deal with South African Airways (SA) on the terms of reference to be used for the verification of its membership numbers, South Africa's National Transport Movement trade union has maintained that it will continue to strike until the outcome of an arbitrator's report is published in mid February.

■ SOUTH AFRICA: NTM's strike enters its 12th day as SAA remains defiant.

Claims by South African Airways (SA) that a 12 day old strike by the National Transport Movement (NTM) over lack of recognition has not affected its operations, have been hotly disputed by the union's deputy secretary general, Liver Mngomezulu.

■ SOUTH AFRICA: SAA defers presentation of turnaround plan to March as NTM embarks on a strike demanding recognition.

The new board of South African Airways (SA) has deferred the presentation of their planned turnaround strategy to March 2013, after being tasked to come up with proposal by December 2012 as part of prerequisite conditions to its USD600million bail out from the South African government, granted last year in October.

■ SOUTH AFRICA: SAA gets another USD64million bailout as poor fuel sourcing deals return to haunt the carrier.

South African Airways' (SA) perennial problems with sourcing competitively priced Jet A1 fuel came back to haunt it once more as reports emerge of the carrier receiving an emergency USD64million (ZAR550million) "bank facility" from its sole shareholder, the South African government. 

■ UNITED STATES: South African Airways, US Airways sign codeshare agreement

Arizona-based US Airways (US) and fellow Star Alliance member South African Airways (SA) have announced a new bilateral codeshare agreement after receiving approval from the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Department of Transport – South Africa.  South African Airways recently signed two other code share deals with two other North American carriers: Air Canada (AC) and JetBlue Airways (B6).

■ SOUTH AFRICA: Gigaba appoints Duduzile Myeni to Acting Chairwoman, Vuyusile Kona to Acting CEO of SAA.

South African Minister of Public Enterprises, Malusi Gigaba, has appointed with immediate effect, Vuyisile Kona to the position of Acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Duduzile Myeni as the Acting Chairwoman of the Board of South African Airways following a recent SAA Board meeting held on 7 December 2012.

■ ETHIOPIA: Ethiopian Airlines shoots down Kenya Airways mega-merger idea as SAA now sets sights on dominating the African market.

Ethiopian Airlines (ET) has, for want of a better term, "shot down" a proposal by Kenya Airways' (KQ) outgoing CEO Titus Naikuni regarding a possible mega-merger between Ethiopian, Kenya Airways and South African Airways, as being impractical.

■ CANADA: South African Airways, Air Canada sign code share deal.

South African Airways (SA) has signed a reciprocal code-share agreement with fellow Star Alliance member, Air Canada (AC), effective 13 December 2012.

■ SOUTH AFRICA: Group SAA finally releases its 2011/2012 Financials; records USD163.2million operating loss.

South African Airways (SA) has at long last, released its financial report for the Financial Year 2011/2012 ending 31 March 2012. In its brief, signed off by the airline's previous board, the carrier reported an operating loss of USD163.2million (ZAR1.3billion) despite its total revenue being up six percent on the previous year. Overall, the group posted a ZAR32million Total comprehensive loss.

■ MALAWI: Ethiopian Airlines, Comair Ltd express interest in 49% stake in Air Malawi.

The Malawian government this afternoon announced that a liquidator had been appointed for Air Malawi Ltd (QM) in order to facilitate the speedy settlement of its debts and liabilities as it moves ahead with the restructuring of the struggling national airline. Additionally, a short-list of possible investors has also been announced with Ethiopian Airlines, and twice shy suitor Comair Ltd in the running.

■ SOUTH AFRICA: No privatization for SAA despite a confirmed $150million loss: Gigaba.

Malusi Gigaba, the South African Minister of Public Enterprises, speaking on the occasion of South African Airways (SA) Post-AGM Briefing at Airways Park on Monday 15 October 2012, bemoaned SAA's below par performance during the 2011/2012 Financial Year, noting that whilst the global aviation industry, as a whole, has suffered in the current adverse global economic environment, SAA still fared poorer compared to its peers across the globe.