South African Airways scraps Etihad alliance, Abu Dhabi route

South African Airways will cease its operations between Johannesburg and Abu Dhabi from March 1, it said Wednesday. "The decision follows extensive analysis and efforts to make the route sustainable over a much shorter period than anticipated," said the carrier. The airline sought and obtained concurrence from National Treasury after applying for permission to terminate operations on the route. Since Oct 29, 2015, the airline has implemented ad hoc cancellations on the route in order to meet the different demand patterns. An application in terms of section 54 of the Public Finance Management Act was approved by the shareholder this year, authorising SAA to exit the route. SAA will also discontinue the code share agreement with Etihad Airways, due to route network rationalisation. <br/>