Editing South African Airways (section)

===Effect of apartheid: 1985–1990===
Due to international opposition to [[apartheid]] during the 1980s, SAA's offices were attacked. In Harare, Zimbabwe, its offices were badly damaged after protesters went on a rampage.<ref>[https://apnews.com/96fa7391e2061f8e2bbfda8dea8b4694 Thousands Rampage Through Harare, Upset Over Machel's Death] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201219024746/https://apnews.com/96fa7391e2061f8e2bbfda8dea8b4694 |date=19 December 2020 }}, ''[[Associated Press]]'', 21 October 1986</ref>

The US [[Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act]] of 1986 banned all flights by South African–owned carriers, including SAA. In 1987, SAA's services to Perth and Sydney in Australia were ended, in light of the Australian Government's opposition to apartheid.<ref>Pirie, G.H. Aviation, apartheid and sanctions: air transport to and from South Africa, 1945–1989.''GeoJournal'', 22 (1990), 231–240.</ref> 

In January 1992, the journal of the [[Royal Aeronautical Society]] (RAeS) reported that the SAA had allegedly confirmed that its passenger jets had carried cargo for [[Armscor (South Africa)|Armscor]], a South African arms manufacturer, in an attempt to circumvent a [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 418|UN arms embargo]] placed on apartheid South Africa.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WkxKAQAAIAAJ |title=Aerospace |date=January 1992 |publisher=[[Royal Aeronautical Society]] |volume=19 |page=4}}</ref> On 28 November 1987, [[South African Airways Flight 295]], a [[Boeing 747]]-200 Combi en route from [[Taipei]] to Johannesburg with a stopover in Mauritrius experienced a catastrophic in-flight fire in the cargo area, broke up in mid-air, and crashed into the Indian Ocean east of Mauritius, killing all 159 people on board.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Watt |first=Ronnie |title=Helderberg Death Flight SA 295 |date=10 February 2009 |publisher=Southern}}</ref> Ignition of an [[ammonium perchlorate]] cargo, a chemical used as a missile propellant, is theorized by forensic scientists to have caused the fire.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Klatzow |first=David |title=Steeped in Blood: The Life and Times of a Forensic Scientist |publisher=Zebra Press |year=2010 |isbn=978-1-86872-922-7 |location=Cape Town, South Africa |pages=172,177,189}}</ref>

[[File:SAA B747-444 ZS-SAW (6354345825).jpg|alt=A Boeing 747-400 "ZS-SAW" painted in the pre–1997 orange, blue and white livery, and featuring the Afrikaans name of the airline SAL (Suid-Afrikaanse Lugdiens).|thumb|A Boeing 747-400 "ZS-SAW" painted in the pre–1997 orange, blue and white livery, and featuring the Afrikaans name of the airline SAL (Suid-Afrikaanse Lugdiens) (1998)]]
[[File:ZS-SPC Boeing 747-SP South African Airways (14912965198).jpg|thumb|A [[Boeing 747SP]] (2001) (now on display at the South African Airways Museum at [[Rand Airport]])|alt=A Boeing 747SP, a shortened Boeing 747-100. The aircraft's engines feature prominently.]]
With the demise of apartheid in 1990, SAA started services to former and new destinations in Africa and Asia.<ref>Pirie, G.H., Southern African air transport after apartheid. ''Journal of Modern African Studies'', 30 (1992), 341–348.</ref><ref>Pirie, G.H. 'Africanisation' of South Africa's international air links, 1994–2003. ''Journal of Transport Geography'', 14 (2006), 3–14</ref> On 1 June 1990, South African companies signed a domestic air travel deregulation act. Flights to New York City's [[John F. Kennedy International Airport]] resumed in November 1991<ref>{{Cite news |last=Beveridge |first=Dirk |date=9 November 1991 |title=South Africa resumes flights to N.Y. |work=The Pittsburgh Press |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ZOUcAAAAIBAJ&pg=5385,5494024&dq=south+african+airways+resumes+new+york&hl=en |access-date=24 December 2010 |archive-date=5 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210205070932/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ZOUcAAAAIBAJ&pg=5385,5494024&dq=south+african+airways+resumes+new+york&hl=en |url-status=live }}</ref> and SAA's planes were able to fly for the first time over Egypt and Sudan, on 8 September.<ref name="Springbok springs back">{{citation |title=Article: The Springbok springs back. (South African Airways) (Company Profile) |url=|access-date=}}</ref> The airline launched flights to Milan on 1 June during the year, and services to Athens were re-introduced.<ref name="Springbok springs back" /> Also, an interline with [[Aeroflot]] was established.

The first of SAA's eight [[Boeing 747-400]]s, named ''Durban'', arrived in South Africa on 19 January 1991.<ref name=747_O_D_Summ/> The airplane was unusual in that two different [[turbofan]] engines were operated. Six [[Rolls-Royce RB211|Rolls-Royce RB211-524H]]-powered examples were ordered; the other two, part of an unfulfilled [[Philippine Airlines]] order, had [[General Electric CF6|General Electric CF6-80C2B5Fs]].<ref name=747_O_D_Summ/> [[Wingtip device|Winglets]], structural changes and [[Fuel efficiency|fuel-efficient]] engines enabled these aircraft to [[Non-stop flight|fly non-stop]] from South Africa to the east coast of the United States. The arrival of Boeing's newest jumbo jet perhaps overshadowed the acquisition by SAA of the world's first commercial [[fly-by-wire]] airliner, the [[Airbus A320 family|Airbus A320]], to assist and enhance services within the country and on regional services.<ref name=SAAMS/> [[Boeing 767]]s arrived in August, 1993<ref name=SAAMS/> and flew on African, Southern European and Middle Eastern routes. They were retired within ten years.

During 1992, SAA began flights to Miami with a Cape Town to [[Miami International Airport]] nonstop Boeing 747-400 route, and re-entered Australia, flying nonstop to Perth with a same-day return "shuttle" service to Sydney. This year also saw codesharing agreements with [[American Airlines]]<ref name=SAA_PTY_LTD/> and [[Air Tanzania]]. There were nonstop flights to [[Don Muang International Airport|Bangkok]] and [[Singapore Changi Airport|Singapore]]; the latter were discontinued by 1996. The airline Alliance, a partnership between SAA, [[Uganda Airlines (1976–2001)|Uganda Airlines]] and [[Air Tanzania]], also began. SAA greeted its passengers in four different languages during domestic flights: English, [[Afrikaans language|Afrikaans]], [[Zulu language|Zulu]], and [[Sotho language|Sotho]], while passengers on international flights were also greeted in the destination's language.

On 24 April 1994, [[South African Express]] (SA Express), a feeder airline service of South African, began operating<ref>{{cite web |title=About Us |url=http://www.flyexpress.aero/about-us.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100819175943/http://www.flyexpress.aero/about-us.html |archive-date=19 August 2010 |access-date=24 December 2010 |publisher=SA Express |df=dmy-all}}</ref> after a 3-year preparation process begun in 1991, when the [[regional airline]] was granted its operating license. SAA initially held a 20% stake in SA Express (Alliance Airline Holdings held 51%, SA Enterprises, 24.9% and Abyss Investments, 4.1%).<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Daly |first=Kieran |date=1–7 June 1994 |title=BRAVE NEW WORLD |url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1994/1994%20-%201370.html |magazine=Flight International |access-date=24 December 2010 |archive-date=3 November 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121103105801/http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1994/1994%20-%201370.html |url-status=live }}</ref> SA Express took over some of SAA's low-density domestic routes.

In 1995, [[Lufthansa]] started a codesharing agreement with SAA, and SAA commissioned Diefenbach Elkins and Herdbuoys to lead its change of image.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1996/01/09/business/the-media-business-advertising.html THE MEDIA BUSINESS; Advertising] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170812023247/http://www.nytimes.com/1996/01/09/business/the-media-business-advertising.html |date=12 August 2017 }}, ''[[The New York Times]]'', January 9, 1996</ref> SAA's Voyager and [[American Airlines]]' AAdvantage frequent flier clubs joined.

As of April 1996, South African employed 11,100 people, of whom 3,100 were engineers.<ref name="WAD_SAA">{{cite web |date=3–9 April 1996 |title=World Airline Directory: South African Airways (SAA) [SA] |url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1996/1996%20-%200817.html |access-date=29 December 2010 |website=[[Flight International]] |archive-date=3 November 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121103115846/http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1996/1996%20-%200817.html |url-status=live }}</ref> It owned and operated 48 aircraft,<ref name=WAD_SAA/> and served 34 destinations from its [[Airline hub|hubs]] at Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg.