SAA says the passenger loads it is getting for its first Johannesburg-Cape Town flights were signs that its customer base is still there.
A deal to sell 51% of the state-owned airline to the Takatso consortium is still being negotiated, with the Dept of Public Enterprises saying the Takatso consortium and the department are in the final stages of a share sale and purchase agreement.
Takatso CEO Gidon Novick said "finalising the share purchase agreement is taking some time, given the complexity involved". He reiterated that the due diligence process was "substantially completed with no major issues".
Though Novick could not provide a time frame for the completion of negotiations, he said: "Our teams are working hard on resolving outstanding issues. We're intent on getting this deal done."
Last month, Takatso, which intends to provide about R3bn in funding for the new SAA over three years, said it is not yet involved in the management or funding of SAA, nor its relaunch plans.