New South African airline to fly even as crisis grips market

A new airline is preparing to start flights in South Africa next week, entering the industry at a time when carriers near and far are going bankrupt amid the worst crisis in aviation history. Lift, owned by Johannesburg-based leasing company Global Airways, will operate three Airbus A320 jets and look to tap returning domestic demand after an almost five-month ban on inter-provincial travel to contain the Covid-19 pandemic. The airline is looking to take advantage of plunging startup costs due to an oversupply of idle planes and low oil prices, according to Co-Founder Gidon Novick. “The opportunity is here now to go into the consumer airline space -- especially given the current environment,” Novick said. “The current cost structures are about 40% lower than what it would have cost to start an airline before the coronavirus.” While European airlines struggle to stay afloat during the slower winter season and a resurgence of Covid-19 cases, Lift will start flying at the height of the South African summer and just as millions of people travel to holiday resorts and family homes for the festive season. Competition has also thinned slightly with the grounding of SAA, which has been in bankruptcy protection for a year. Lift’s first flight is scheduled for Dec. 10, and the carrier will link Johannesburg with Cape Town and George -- a small coastal town in the middle of the so-called Garden Route, a popular area for holidaymakers.<br/>