Ethiopian Airlines CEO Tewolde GebreMariam said the carrier
is in talks over potential involvement in a rescue deal for South African
Airways, according to Reuters.
GebreMariam told Reuters: “Some discussion is taking place
between ET and the South African Public Enterprise Ministry, but it is at a
very initial level and part of a general overview of pan-African cooperation in
the aviation world between ET and SAA.”
SAA was placed into a form of bankruptcy protection in 2019, and
while its creditors have approved a restructuring plan, the South African
government is seeking at least 10 billion rand (about €507 million) in funding
to put the plan into action, according to Reuters. The plan initially aiming
for a July restart of some flights, but a government travel ban has forced all
flights to be grounded until at least the end of September. When enacted, the
restructuring will see the airline make thousands of redundancies and drop a
number of regional and international services.
The government confirmed it has received unsolicited
interest in SAA, which grounded its flights in March to stop the spread of
coronavirus.