New South African Airline To Start Flying Next Month

The South African start-up Lift hopes to take to the air for the first time on December 10th. The new airline aims to operate low-cost domestic flights with a fleet of three Airbus A320s.

For the time being, the network consists of three destinations: George, Johannesburg and Cape Town. The flights will be operated by charter specialist Global Aviation. As the demand for charter flights is at an all-time low, it is likely Lift was able to get a good deal from Global Aviation.

Lift was founded by former Kulula founder Gidon Novick and Uber manager Jonathan Ayache. The airline wants to distinguish itself through low prices and flexible options for changing tickets.

The new airline is bad news for the struggling South African Airways. The South African national carrier already has to compete with budget airlines Kulula and FlySafair. To stay competitive in the local aviation market, South African Airways founded Mango, their low-cost subsidiary. SAA itself also operates short- and medium-haul flights.