| Airline: | Safair |
| Iata: | FA |
| Icao: | SFR |
| Callsign: | CARGO |
| Founded: | 1965 |
| Headquarters: | Kempton Park, Gauteng, South Africa |
| Hubs: | O.R. Tambo International Airport |
| Fleet Size: | 34 |
Safair is an airline based at the O.R. Tambo International Airport in Kempton Park, South Africa.[1] It operates one of the world's largest fleets of civil Lockheed L-100 Hercules cargo aircraft.[2] [3]
Safair Operations as it is known today was established in 1965. At the time it was known as Tropair (Pty) Ltd and was a general aviation charter company. In 1970 the company name changed to Safair Freighters (Pty) Ltd when the company was purchased by Safmarine and the new entity began operations on 18 March 1970. Its primary client in the 1980s was the South African Defence Force.[4]
Safair is a Level 4 BBBEE contributor. Safair Operations (PTY) LTD has been independently verified in accordance with the Codes of Good Practice, issued in terms of section 9(1) of the Broad Black Based Economic Empowerment Act 53 of 2003 as Amended per Act 46 of 2013 (Gazette 37271 of 27 January 2014). Safair is an affiliate airline of ASL Aviation Holdings. Humanitarian Aid and Relief operations has always been Safair's "niche" market. Safair assists aid and relief agencies such as the United Nations, World Food Programme, and the International Committee of the Red Cross in delivering much needed humanitarian aid to stricken regions on the African continent as well as other areas in the world where such assistance is required.[5]
Until 2018, Safair was contracted to the Italian Antarctic Program (National Antarctic Research Program (PNRA)) to support science over the austral summer, flying Lockheed L-100-30 missions from Christchurch, New Zealand to Zucchelli Station in Terra Nova Bay, Antarctica. In 2007, Safair obtained its IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA)[6] approval.
the Safair fleet consists of the following aircraft:[7] [8]
| Aircraft | In Fleet | On Order | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boeing 737-800 | 7 | Passenger | ||
| Boeing 737-400 | 10 | Passenger | ||
| Boeing 737-400C | 1 | Combi aircraft | ||
| Lockheed L-100-30 Hercules | 6 | Freight only, passenger only, or combi | ||
| Lockheed Martin LM-100J | 10 | Ordered in 2014 to replace current L-100s | ||
| Total | 24 | 10 |
In October 2023, Safair was the most reliable low-cost carrier according to Cirium's On-Time Performance rankings. In October 2023, Safair flights arrived on time 90.81% of the time.[18]
See main article: FlySafair.
In 2013, Safair created a low-cost carrier operating under a separate brand called FlySafair. The initial plan to operate flights in October 2013 had to be cancelled, as a result of a High Court application by Comair.[19] FlySafair is currently operational with the first flight having taken place on 16 October 2014.[20] FlySafair operates passenger flights between Cape Town, George, PortElizabeth,Johannesburg, Lanseria, Durban, Bloemfontein, KMIA, East London, Zanzibar, Mauritius, Harare, Livingstone,Victoria Falls and Maputo.[21]