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| Founded | 2013 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commenced operations | 11 February 2015 | ||||||
| Ceased operations | 10 November 2015 | ||||||
| Hubs | OR Tambo International Airport | ||||||
| Headquarters | Johannesburg, South Africa | ||||||
| Key people |
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| Website | http://skywise.co.za/ | ||||||
Skywise was a South African domestic low-cost airline headquartered in Johannesburg and based at OR Tambo International Airport. It solely operated flights between Johannesburg and Cape Town, but suspended operations in November 2015.
Skywise was founded by Tabassum Qadir and J. Malik in March 2013. Skywise received its air service license in 2014, and the official launch flight took place on 11 February 2015. On 5 March 2015, the first daily scheduled flights commenced.
On 20 October 2015, Skywise announced the reduction of frequency between Johannesburg and Cape Town from eight to six return flights per day. The frequency was to be improved shortly as the plans to revitalise the airline were underway. An additional Boeing 737 was to be acquired to serve the increased number of flights. The airline was also eyeing regional routes into other countries in Africa.
Skywise was barred from taking off from Cape Town or Johannesburg for several hours on 11, 12 and 13 October 2015 because of debts owed to Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) and Air Traffic & Navigation Services (ATNS). From a total of 24 flights, only 6 flights were affected during the three days. By 15 October, all flights between Cape Town and Johannesburg – the route that the airline serviced four times a day – were taking off on time. Following the Skywise dispute with ACSA and ATNS, Skywise received a lot of negative publicity. [1] The media reported that Skywise was "grounded" [2] whilst Skywise affirmed that only two of their eight flights were affected for the day; the 'grounding' formed the major part of media coverage as it was maintained that they were not flying.
However, the airline later confirmed it had received a notice from Acsa warning it would be shut down because of unpaid airport charges [3] and by 10 November 2015 all of Skywise's aircraft had been withdrawn, effectively halting further operations. [4] Flights never resumed, and the airline's official website was shut down.
80% of the airline was owned by South Africans, including the Mandela Family and the Co-CEO Irfan Pardesi, while 20% is owned by Pak Africa CEO Tabassum Qadir. The company was co-chaired by Faizel Motlekar and J. Malik. Johan Borstlap, was the other Co-CEO and Muhammed Saleem Kachi Kumhar, Deputy Chairperson. Some of the board members had interests in another failed low-cost airline, which liquidated in November 2012. Skywise operated in two cities; Johannesburg and Cape Town and the head office was in Sandton City, Johannesburg.
Skywise had partnerships with:
Skywise Airlines serviced South Africa's most popular domestic route between Johannesburg and Cape Town, flying six times daily.
South AfricaAt closure, the Skywise fleet consisted of the following aircraft: [5]
| Aircraft | In service | Orders | Passengers | Notes/sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boeing 737-300 | 1 | — | 142 | |
| Boeing 737-500 | 1 | — | 126 | |
| Total | 2 | — | ||
South African Airways (SAA) is the flag carrier airline of South Africa. Founded in 1934, the airline is headquartered in Airways Park at O. R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg and operated a hub-and-spoke network, serving ten destinations in Africa. The carrier joined Star Alliance in April 2006, making it the first African carrier to sign with one of the three major airline alliances.
O. R. Tambo International Airport is an international airport situated in Kempton Park, Gauteng, South Africa. It serves as the primary airport for domestic and international travel to/from South Africa and since 2020, it is Africa's second busiest airport, with a capacity to handle up to 28 million passengers annually. The airport serves as the hub for South African Airways. The airport handled over 21 million passengers in 2017.
Cape Town International Airport is the primary international airport serving the city of Cape Town, and is the second-busiest airport in South Africa and fourth-busiest in Africa. Located approximately 20 kilometres (12 mi) from the city center, the airport was opened in 1954 to replace Cape Town's previous airport, Wingfield Aerodrome. Cape Town International Airport is the only airport in the Cape Town metropolitan area that offers scheduled passenger services. The airport has domestic and international terminals, linked by a common central terminal.
Inter Aviation Services (Pty) Ltd, which traded as Interair South Africa, was a privately owned airline based in Johannesburg, South Africa. It operated scheduled passenger services from Johannesburg to regional destinations in Africa. Its main base was O. R. Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg.
Safair is an airline based at the O.R. Tambo International Airport in Kempton Park, South Africa. It operates one of the world's largest fleets of civil Lockheed L-100 Hercules cargo aircraft.
Nationwide Airlines was an airline based in Lanseria, South Africa. It operated scheduled domestic and international services. Its main base was OR Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg. On 29 April 2008, the airline ended operations.
Comair Limited was an airline based in South Africa that operated scheduled services on domestic routes as a British Airways franchisee. It also operated as a low-cost carrier under its own kulula.com brand. Its main base was OR Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg, while focus cities were Cape Town, flying from Cape Town International Airport and Durban, King Shaka International Airport. Its headquarters were near OR Tambo in the Bonaero Park area of Kempton Park, Ekurhuleni, Gauteng.
1time Airline (Pty) Ltd commonly called 1time was a South African low-cost airline that operated between 2004 and 2012. Based in the Isando Industrial Park in Kempton Park, Ekurhuleni, Gauteng, 1time operated scheduled domestic and regional services. Its main base was OR Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg. The name of the company, "one time!", is a South African expression meaning "for real!".
Hosea Kutako International Airport is the main international airport of Namibia, serving the capital city Windhoek. Located well east of the city, 45 km (28 mi), it is Namibia's largest airport with international connections. From its founding in 1965 to the independence of Namibia in 1990, it was named J.G. Strijdom Airport. In 1990 the airport was renamed, in honor of Namibian national hero Hosea Kutako.
Airports Company of South Africa Limited (ACSA) is a majority(94.6%) state-owned South African airport management company. Founded in 1993, ACSA operates nine of South Africa's airports. The company is headquartered at Aviation Park, Western Precinct Building, situated at O.R. Tambo International Airport in Kempton Park, Gauteng, South Africa.
Mango Airlines SOC Ltd, trading as Mango, was a South African low-cost airline based at the OR Tambo International Airport, and a subsidiary of South African Airways. Since July 2021, the airline had been grounded, as funding for its business rescue was subject to a dispute. However in August 2022 its license was suspended altogether.
Federal Air is an airline headquartered at O. R. Tambo International Airport near Johannesburg. South Africa.
Interlink Airlines Pty Ltd. was an airline based in Johannesburg, South Africa, operating scheduled and chartered flights out of OR Tambo International Airport. Its IATA code has since been reassigned to Batik Air.
CemAir (Pty) Ltd is a privately owned airline operating in South Africa, servicing popular tourist destinations and important business towns, as well as leasing aircraft to other airlines across Africa and the Middle East. The airline is based in Johannesburg.
Zambezi Airlines was a privately owned airline headquartered in Lusaka, Zambia, that operated flights to south and western Africa out of its base at Kenneth Kaunda International Airport.
Velvet Sky was a low cost airline based at the King Shaka International Airport near Durban, South Africa. The airline launched in March 2011. It ceased operations in February 2012 and was liquidated in May 2012.
FlySafair is an international low-cost airline based in Johannesburg, South Africa. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Safair. The company slogan is For The Love Of Flying.
The Republic of Singapore and the Republic of South Africa are independent countries which have achieved independence from Great Britain and currently maintain friendly bilateral relations. The connections between the two countries are based primarily on their membership in the Commonwealth of Nations, and their interactions in international trade and tourism. Both countries also cooperate in social and economic development issues.
Airlink Cargo is a division of SA Airlink (Pty) Ltd and provides air freight transport services to over 35 destinations across Southern Africa from its base at O. R. Tambo International Airport. The division was formed in 2011 after one British Aerospace Jetstream 41 passenger aircraft belonging to parent company Airlink was converted for freight operations, followed the next year by a second aircraft. Freight is also carried on Airlink Cargo's behalf by Airlink and Swaziland Airlink across the region. Airlink Cargo is headquartered on the grounds of their hub near Johannesburg, South Africa.
LIFT is a South African regional airline, which operates domestic routes from O. R. Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg using a fleet of Airbus A320 aircraft, operated by Global Aviation.
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Media related to Skywise at Wikimedia Commons
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