SAA slides in global airline rankings to new low – while Ethiopian shines bright

SAA (Photo by Gallo Images/Jacques Stander)

• South African Airways enjoyed 14 years as the best airline in Africa and was ranked among some of the world’s best, according to Skytrax’s satisfaction survey.
• But with its financial and operational challenges, South Africa’s flag carrier has slid down the global rankings for four consecutive years.
• The airline was recently placed at 79 on the list of top 100 airlines, its worst recorded position ever.
• Ethiopian Airlines continued its climb up the international rankings and retained its spot as the best airline in Africa.
• South African Airways, meanwhile, has been overtaken by Morocco’s national carrier Royal Air Maroc on the continent, and is barely holding onto its podium position.
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South African Airways (SAA) continues to slide down the ranks of the world’s best airlines, dropping for the fourth consecutive year to its worst place on record. Meanwhile, Ethiopian Airlines continues to soar in Africa and abroad.

South Africa’s flag carrier has had a tumultuous past few years. From fierce financial losses, which forced it into business rescue, to the pandemic that crippled the global aviation sector, SAA’s road to renewal has been fraught.

And although the airline has re-emerged as a much leaner carrier, its future, seemingly dependent on a strategic equity…