The evolution of the logo of South African Airways (SAA) demonstrates how a brand’s heritage can be successfully used to build a new, modern visual identity. At first glance, the original emblem may look totally different from the current one. And yet, if you trace the history of the design, you will see that each of them shares something in common with the original one.
South African Airways was founded on February 1, 1934, following the rebranding and acquisition of Union Airways by the South African government. The airline is headquartered in Airways Park at O. R. Tambo International Airport (Johannesburg), which is also its main hub.
When the new company was launched, it had a staff of 40 and a fleet of five De Havilland and Junkers airplanes. South African Airways’ first flight was a commercial flight between Johannesburg and Cape Town, launched in the same year.
During World War II, South African Airways served as a military transportation service, transporting troops and cargo throughout Africa. In 1945, passenger transportation resumed and the route network was expanded. At the same time, South African Airlines began operating intercontinental flights.
With the beginning of the international anti-apartheid program in the 1980s, SAA began to face difficulties. Thus, in 1986 the carrier’s airplanes were banned from flying to the USA, and a year later - to Australia. During this period, South African Airways was forced to cancel several international routes and faced financial difficulties. After the fall of the political regime of racial discrimination in 1990, flights to these regions gradually resumed. In 1994, South African Airlines was privatized and became a separate organization from the South African government.
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Boeing 747-400 (ZS-SAX) at London Heathrow Airport in the old colour scheme.
Logo Evolution Through the Years
1934 - 1948
The earliest South African Airways logo featured a winged antelope. The mythical creature seemed to have just taken off the ground and was in flight. It was white with smaller black patches.
1948 - 1971
While the logo still featured the flying antelope, it was redrawn from scratch. The result was more streamlined and dynamic. The animal was primarily black and looked slimmer than its predecessor.
1971 - 1997
The new design was dominated by the abbreviation “SAA.” Each of the letters was housed inside a dark blue box. The antelope was now just a small part of the logo. It was placed in the fourth box, which was red.
Below, there was the writing “South African Airways” in light blue. Although the type was a pretty clean one, the lettering was not perfectly legible at smaller sizes.
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HOW BIG IS SOUTH AFRICAN AIRWAYS (SAA)- The Story of South African Airways (Africa's Oldest Airline)
1997 - 2003
This is when the modern era of the South African Airways logo started. The winged antelope from the previous logos merged with the triangular design of the flag of the Republic of South Africa to form a dynamic, streamlined design with pronounced symbolism.
You could hardly guess the antelope theme was still there unless you had seen the previous version. Now, the stylized sun was the most apparent symbolic and emotional theme. It was housed in the red field conjuring up the images of beautiful sunsets seen out of an aircraft.
2003 - 2006
While the image remained mostly the same, the overall shape changed. Instead of the square, the emblem now had the shape of an aircraft stabilizer. The name of the company grew smaller. It now included a horizontal bar separating the word “Airways.”
2006 - 2019
The pictorial part stayed almost unchanged, except for the 3D effect and the gray trim, which added a final touch. The typography grew cleaner. The result was achieved by removing the horizontal bar.
2019 - Today
In 2019 the South African Airlines visual identity was strengthened and modernized, keeping the unique style and recognizability of its previous version. The glossy voluminous emblem was redrawn flatly and distinctively, with the contours becoming stronger and cleaner. As for the lettering part, it was written in the same font, but grew a bit larger and gained a slightly brighter hue of the blue color.
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Font
The type featured in the South African Airways logo is clear and perfectly legible yet distinctive. The most memorable details are the high and sharp ends on the “A’s” and the elongated ends of the “R’s.” The glyphs are rather light and elegant, with delicate serifs.
Company Overview
South African Airways was established in February 1934. Its hub is O. R. Tambo International Airport (Johannesburg), while its focus city is Cape Town (International Airport).
Key facts about South African Airways:
- Founded: 24 July 1929 (as Union Airways)
- Hub: O. R. Tambo International Airport
- Secondary hubs: Cape Town International Airport
- Frequent-flyer program: Voyager
- Alliance: Star Alliance
- Headquarters: Airways Park, O. R. Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg
South African Airways (SAA; Afrikaans: Suid-Afrikaanse Lugdiens, SAL) is the flag carrier of South Africa. In June 2021, the South African government announced that SAA would be partially privatised in a Strategic Equity Partnership (SEP) transaction with the Takatso Consortium, which would hold a 51% controlling stake and 49% remaining with the State.
The main aircraft of SAA in the 1930s was the Junkers Ju 52. The slow growth continued during the 1940s, though the airline was effectively closed for the duration of World War II. In 1944, SAA began operating 28 Lockheed Lodestars to restart domestic services and by 1948 SAA operating nineteen examples. On 10 November 1945, SAA achieved a longtime company goal by operating a route to Europe when an Avro York landed in Bournemouth, England, after the long flight from Palmietfontein Airport near Johannesburg.
These were replaced by the Douglas DC-4 from 1946 onwards, which in turn was replaced by the Lockheed Constellation on international routes in 1950. On 10 November 1945, the airline introduced its first intercontinental service, the 3-day Springbok Service, operated by the Avro York, which was routed Palmietfontein-Nairobi-Khartoum-Cairo-Castel Benito-Hurn Bournemouth.
A weekly service was initially flown, but this later increased to 6 times weekly due to high passenger demand. From 1946, passengers and cargo carried increased, along with the size of SAA's fleet and staff. As the Skymasters arrived, out went the Avro Yorks, back to BOAC. Air hostesses were introduced in September 1946: at first on domestic routes, then on Springbok Services.
Palmietfontein Airport replaced Rand Airport as SAA's hub in 1948. In June 1948, SAA began to show films on its Skymaster aircraft. SAA received four Lockheed Constellations, its first pressurised aircraft, in August 1950. They provided scheduled service to London's Heathrow airport. Initially, the route from Johannesburg was flown via Nairobi, Khartoum and Rome.
The jet age arrived in South Africa on 3 May 1952 when a BOAC de Havilland Comet arrived in Palmietfontein after a 24-hour journey from England with five refuelling stops en route. SAA chartered two Comets from the British airline on 4 October 1953, when Comet G-ANAV left London for Johannesburg. On the same day, Tourist Class was introduced on the 58-seat Lockheed Constellation used on the Springbok Service.
In 1956, SAA introduced the Douglas DC-7B, capable of long-range operations and then probably the fastest piston-engine airliner in the world. SAA exploited the aircraft's performance by introducing it between Johannesburg and London with only one fuelling stop at Khartoum. This was known as the East Coast express, taking 21 hours to complete, versus BOAC's inaugural Comet flight between the two cities of 24 hours.
After a host of accidents involving SAA's and other airlines' Comets, the airline ordered three Boeing 707-320 Intercontinentals on 21 February 1958, with the first delivered on 1 July 1960. Three months after arrival, on 1 October 1960, the Boeing 707 was deployed on the airline's flagship Springbok Service, trimming the flying time to London to 13 hours.
Other changes brought about by the 707 were a livery change, to an orange tail with blue and white markings, as well as improved comfort, range and speed. A 707 replaced the DC-7B on the Wallaby Route in 1967; Cocos Islands was dropped, while Sydney became the terminus. The jets arrived during a period when most African countries, except SA's neighbours, denied South African airlines the use of their airspace, necessitating long detours.
In 1967 the Skymasters, Constellations and DC-7Bs were being retired, replaced by the Boeing 727 trijet the following year to complement the Boeing 707. On 13 March 1968, SAA ordered five Boeing 747-200Bs. The first, Lebombo (registered as ZS-SAN), was delivered on 22 October 1971 after a 3-stop flight from Seattle. It was placed into service in December and proved very popular.
SAA opened a route to Asia, with Boeing 707 flights to Hong Kong via an intermediate stop at the Seychelles Islands in June 1974. In 1980, SAA began nonstop flights to Taipei using a Boeing 747SP; Mauritius had earlier replaced the Seychelles for the Hong Kong service. On 26 December 1980, the last South African Airways Boeing 707 service was operated between Paris and Johannesburg. Its touchdown ended the 20-year career of the 707.
Due to international opposition to apartheid during the 1980s, SAA's offices were attacked. The US Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act of 1986 banned all flights by South African-owned carriers, including SAA.
With the demise of apartheid in 1990, SAA started services to former and new destinations in Africa and Asia. On 1 June 1990, South African companies signed a domestic air travel deregulation act. Flights to New York City's John F. The first of SAA's eight Boeing 747-400s, named Durban, arrived in South Africa on 19 January 1991.
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, to assist and enhance services within the country and on regional services. Boeing 767s arrived in August, 1993 and flew on African, Southern European and Middle Eastern routes.
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 and Air Tanzania. There were nonstop flights to Bangkok and Singapore; the latter were discontinued by 1996.
The airline Alliance, a partnership between SAA, Uganda Airlines and Air Tanzania, also began. On 24 April 1994, South African Express (SA Express), a feeder airline service of South African, began operating after a 3-year preparation process begun in 1991, when the regional airline was granted its operating license.
In 1997, SAA replaced the springbok emblem and the old national colours of orange, white and blue with a new livery based upon the new national flag, with a sun motif. The airline's name on its aircraft retained the Afrikaans name Suid-Afrikaanse Lugdiens. In 1998, services to Copenhagen Airport were stopped.
A new airline president and CEO, Coleman Andrews, was appointed. The arrival of the American saw a comprehensive and controversial overhaul of the airline, changing the management of SAA. The 737 order was followed by an Airbus order in 2002.
Under CEO Andre Viljoen, South African Airways requested Airbus to overhaul its fleet at a cost of US$3.5 billion in March 2002, taking advantage of a slump in the order books of both Boeing and Airbus. The airline industry was still staggering after the September 11 attacks in the US, which led to new aircraft orders either being deferred, or cancelled altogether.
SAA was in a buyers' market and the demise of Swissair, which had A340-600s about to be delivered, effected Airbus clinching the SAA deal. This was part of a bigger order that covered 11 A319s, 15 A320s, nine A340-600s and six A340-300s. Three of the A340-600 aircraft came from International Lease Finance Corporation (ILFC). Later that year, South African Airways made a successful bid for a 49% stake in Air Tanzania. The move highlighted SAA's wish to gain a foothold in eastern Africa.
In 2001, South African Airways won the Best Cargo Airline to Africa award from Air Cargo News - (even though South African is mainly a passenger airline) - and South African Airways signed a codesharing agreement with Nigeria Airways to provide service from the United States to Lagos using South African Airways 747s (this codeshare agreement is no longer in effect, and SAA's flights to/from the United States no longer stop in Nigeria).
In March 2004, South African Airways announced its application to join Star Alliance. In July 2004, Andre Viljoen resigned as CEO of SAA. In August 2004, Khaya Ngqula was appointed as CEO of SAA.
In July 2005, SAA started a four times weekly Johannesburg-Accra-Washington, D.C. service with a Boeing 747-400. Service was increased to daily flights in July 2006, and the 747-400 was replaced by an Airbus A340-600. Because SAA could not obtain rights to fly passengers between Ghana and the US, Dakar replaced Accra as the intermediate stop.
The South African government's plans called for the separation of South African Airways and its parent company Transnet. In May 2007, SAA launched an 18-month comprehensive restructuring programme which aimed to make the airline profitable. According to then-CEO Khaya Ngqula, this came largely after "uncompetitive ownership and aircraft lease costs, excessive head count and fuel price volatility".
The programme involved: the spin-off of businesses into seven subsidiaries, thereby allowing SAA to concentrate on its core business of passenger and cargo transport; grounding SAA's Boeing 747-400 fleet; rationalising international routes (Paris was dropped altogether); the axing of 30% of the airline's managers; among other reductions.
On 20 June 2008, the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) agreed to extend South African Airways' sponsorship of the organisation another 3 and a half years. This extension succeeded two years of co-operation that "have seen a successful partnership blossom between SAA and the ATP". The deal was worth $20 million, and ran until the end of 2012. On the same day it was announced that a new ATP World Tour tournament would be held in South Africa in 2009.
In 2010, the company sought to recover $4 million from then-CEO Khaya Ngqula, for allegedly spending the money on his friends and awarding business deals with organisations and individuals in which he had an interest. In February 2010, the airline appointed Siza Mzimela as its first female CEO. She replaced Khaya Ngqula, who was accused of mismanagement and therefore quit. Mzimela was previously CEO of SAA's domestic partner airline, South African Express (SA Express).
At the end of 2010, SAA permanently retired the two Boeing 747-400s which were temporarily re-introduced in late 2008. This was expected to save it $60 million during the fiscal year ending March 2009. On 24 February 2012 SAA's new Airbus A320-200, registration ZS-SZZ, made its first revenue flight between Johannesburg and Durban. There were twelve A320s in the fleet as of December 2016.
SAA began flights to Beijing, China on 31 January 2012. Buenos Aires flights ended in 2013 and, in January 2015, SAA announced plans to end its non-stop services to Beijing and Mumbai. In September 2017, SAA began reducing its fleet and expected to cut 23% of its flights.
Standard Chartered Bank was the first bank in June 2017 to call in its SAA loan. The South African government provided R2.2 billion to settle the debt. Citibank was the second bank to refuse extending the loan facility. Together with some others, another R7.7 billion became payable at the end of September 2017.
On 5 December 2019, the government of South Africa announced that SAA would enter into bankruptcy protection, as the airline had not turned a profit since 2011 and had run out of money. In January 2020, South African Airways announced that it would suspend several routes, e.g. On 5 December 2019, SAA was placed under business rescue.
Les Matuson and Siviwe Dongwana were appointed as the Business Rescue Practitioners of SAA in December 2019. A business recovery plan was expected by the end of February 2020, extended, then postponed. In February 2020, ex-Secretary General of the ANC, Ace Magashule, stated that should the Business Rescue Practitioners take decisions not to the ANC's liking, it would intervene.
On 2 May 2020, the government of South Africa announced that South African Airways would be ceasing operations after 86 years of service, and that a new flagship carrier would be created for South Africa out of the ashes of the former airline. The liquidation process was set to begin on 8 May; however, a legal battle between the liquidators and the workforce delayed the proceedings indefinitely.
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