Johannesburg - SA Airways (SAA) has announced price cuts following global reductions in jet fuel prices.
There would be price reductions of on average $15
(about R125.94) per segment, the equivalent of around R249 a round trip,
on flights between Johannesburg and several African destinations, SAA
said on Sunday.
Total long-haul return ticket costs would be cut by $7 (about R58.78) a segment, or R116 a round trip.
Douala in Cameroon, Cotonou in Benin, Pointe Noire in
the Republic of Congo, Libreville (Gabon), Bujumbura (Burundi), and
Kigali (Rwanda) were the African destinations benefiting from the
steepest price cuts.
"We are able to offer the deepest cuts on these African
routes because the price of jet fuel in these cities is generally
higher than the international average," said SAA CEO Siza Mzimela.
"As a result, although fuel prices remain higher than
elsewhere internationally, when oil prices drop, the reduction results
in a larger actual saving to our passengers".
The decreases more than compensated for the European
Union's carbon emissions tax of between one and two euros a passenger
(about R10.34 and R20.68 respectively) which SAA would implement next
month.
SAA passengers started benefiting from the fuel levy reductions last week.
"Within the overall context of our growth and
optimisation strategy for SAA, we will continue to manage our fuel and
other costs to the maximum benefit of our passengers and the economy,"
said Mzimela.
