SAA successor goes all-in on Russian SSJ100

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ian16th
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SAA successor goes all-in on Russian SSJ100

#1 Post by ian16th » Thu May 20, 2021 9:44 am

From African Pilot:
Skylink Airways aims to fill a vacuum left by South African Airways (SAA) and become the first Sukhoi Superjet 100 (SSJ100) operator in Africa. The company was established by entrepreneur Clarence Andrea Steyn, who laid out the plan in an interview with Aero Telegraph. According to the founder, the airline already found potential investors from both Russia and South Africa and started hiring ex-SAA personnel. South African Airways (SAA) has been in deep financial trouble for years and despite recent talks of restructuring and new investments, the company has stopped operations in 2020 and laid off a significant part of its workers.

Steyn said Skylink Airways (not to be confused with Canadian SkyLink Aviation and SkyLink Express) should fill the gaps left by the SAA and have bases in Cape Town and Johannesburg. The company also aims to cooperate closely with Russian aircraft manufacturer Sukhoi. Special headquarters in Moscow are going to be established for this reason and plans for long-haul flights between South Africa and Russia are on the table. For the nearest future, Skylink aims to start operations in September 2022 and fly mostly to South African destinations, as well as several neighbouring countries. It will operate two Embraer E190s and ten SSJ100 regional airliners. Of the latter aircraft, five planes are going to be purchased and five leased.

Superjet 100, also known as SSJ100, is a regional aircraft manufactured by Sukhoi, a subsidiary of Russian United Aircraft Corporation (UAC). Introduced in 2011 and marketed heavily towards the international market, it became known for its many controversies. All western airlines that operated it had reported troubles with the supply of spare parts, leading to CityJet and Brussels Airlines, the only western European carriers to operate the jet. Mexican Interjet, the remaining operator, had also experienced significant problems with maintenance of the Russian aircraft, before shutting down in late 2020 due to financial troubles. Since then, the SSJ100 has only been employed by Russian airlines and various governmental bodies, such as Royal Thai Air Force and Kazakh government.
Just my cynical opinion, but might the Russian investment have been conditional on the buying of the SSJ100's?
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Re: SAA successor goes all-in on Russian SSJ100

#2 Post by TheGreenGoblin » Thu May 20, 2021 10:08 am

ian16th wrote:
Thu May 20, 2021 9:44 am
From African Pilot:
Skylink Airways aims to fill a vacuum left by South African Airways (SAA) and become the first Sukhoi Superjet 100 (SSJ100) operator in Africa. The company was established by entrepreneur Clarence Andrea Steyn, who laid out the plan in an interview with Aero Telegraph. According to the founder, the airline already found potential investors from both Russia and South Africa and started hiring ex-SAA personnel. South African Airways (SAA) has been in deep financial trouble for years and despite recent talks of restructuring and new investments, the company has stopped operations in 2020 and laid off a significant part of its workers.

Steyn said Skylink Airways (not to be confused with Canadian SkyLink Aviation and SkyLink Express) should fill the gaps left by the SAA and have bases in Cape Town and Johannesburg. The company also aims to cooperate closely with Russian aircraft manufacturer Sukhoi. Special headquarters in Moscow are going to be established for this reason and plans for long-haul flights between South Africa and Russia are on the table. For the nearest future, Skylink aims to start operations in September 2022 and fly mostly to South African destinations, as well as several neighbouring countries. It will operate two Embraer E190s and ten SSJ100 regional airliners. Of the latter aircraft, five planes are going to be purchased and five leased.

Superjet 100, also known as SSJ100, is a regional aircraft manufactured by Sukhoi, a subsidiary of Russian United Aircraft Corporation (UAC). Introduced in 2011 and marketed heavily towards the international market, it became known for its many controversies. All western airlines that operated it had reported troubles with the supply of spare parts, leading to CityJet and Brussels Airlines, the only western European carriers to operate the jet. Mexican Interjet, the remaining operator, had also experienced significant problems with maintenance of the Russian aircraft, before shutting down in late 2020 due to financial troubles. Since then, the SSJ100 has only been employed by Russian airlines and various governmental bodies, such as Royal Thai Air Force and Kazakh government.
Just my cynical opinion, but might the Russian investment have been conditional on the buying of the SSJ100's?
I am apt to agree with you. The jet itself is not irretrievably flawed, but has been bedeviled by a crashes, technical issues (including cracks) and the litany of the usual Russian quality issues. As is often the case, the spares supply chain, logistical support and aftersales infrastructure, training and investment associated with this Russian aircraft is very poor, as is so typical of other Russian high tech ventures as well. The Russians do some engineering very well, but have not really moved in the 1st world of leading civil aviation technology and business despite, their many talented people working in and around the industry.



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sukhoi_Su ... %20Armavia.

I remember I was working in South Africa on contract with a Russian when this totally avoidable accident occurred, and had many a heated debate with him about Russian technology over a beer or two in the evening...

2012 Mount Salak Sukhoi Superjet crash



Maybe the two old enemies, Afrikaners and Russians can make this venture work?
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Re: SAA successor goes all-in on Russian SSJ100

#3 Post by tango15 » Thu May 20, 2021 10:11 am

Without doubt, Ian. I would also wager (and I'm not really a betting man), that they will quickly run into problems with the aircraft. From all that I have heard, they are in the first instance unreliable, so the need for spare parts will quickly become apparent. What has surprised me is that post perestroika one would have expected the Russians to have sorted out this long-standing problem, but old habits die hard, I suppose.

I am interested to know quite what the real connection between South Africa and Russia could be. Getting a Russian visa these days is a total PITA for all concerned. I can't imagine planes full of Saffers arriving in Moscow to go and visit the incorrectly named Red Square and St Basil's cathedral, attractive as they are. I wouldn't have thought that Russia needs much of what SA can produce. They have their own precious minerals, for example. There could be an influx of Russkies to do the safari thing and swim with sharks. The wealthy are always interested in new places to visit.

I think this has more to do with UAC's desperation to unload their screaming baby onto anyone who will take it, especially if they're paying for it in convertible currency.

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