Report Kirsten Bowling
SA ALLIANCE has suspended its twice weekly UK to South
African operations pending a shareholders meeting on the future of the company.
SA Alliance Air aircraft will remain at Heathrow until next
month’s meeting.
South African Airways marketing manager Russel Barlow-Jones
explained: “SA Alliance Air is part owned by African Joint Air Services, with a
40% stake, the Uganda Government, who hold a 30% stake and the Tanzania
Government with another 30% stake.
“In March SA Alliance Air were presented with an opportunity
to expand and offer more flights to South Africa. However this required the
successful negotiation of the new shareholder’s agreement, which was not achieved
as Uganda and Tanzania, as shareholders, could not come up with the collateral.”
The suspension of SA Alliance Air does not affect South African
Airways or SA Alliance Express, SA Alliance’s Air regional feeder airline.
Alliance Express will continue to operate from Rwanda as scheduled.
Passengers booked on SA Alliance Air flights will be offered
alternative flights with British Airways, given a full refund or re-routed to
South Africa.