Gordhan said the board had adopted a resolution to place the company into business rescue, which had been supported by government.
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“This is the optimal mechanism to restore confidence in SAA and to safeguard the good assets of SAA and help to restructure and reposition the entity into one that is stronger, more sustainable and able to grow and attract an equity partner.
“Our desire is that the restructured airline will mark the beginning of a new era in South African aviation and must be able to bring in millions more tourists into SA; help create more jobs in tourism and related sectors of the economy and work with other African airlines to underpin and service the integration of African markets and improve dramatically intra-African trade and travel.
“It is also important that the reliance on government finances be reduced as soon as possible and to minimise disruption to SAA services, customers, staff and other stakeholders.”
He said that business rescue was a well-defined process that would allow SAA to continue operating in an orderly and safe manner and keep its planes and passengers flying under the direction of a business rescue practitioner.