International airlines pull out of South Africa

International flights were put at halt or cancelled as the Covid-19 pandemic became effective and affected people globally. International airlines based in South Africa shut down their offices and employment was terminated.

The Business Insider reported “Qantas quits South African route and will only return in October 2021” November 17 2020 that the Australian airline, Qantas, is the latest carrier to suspend flights to and from SA up until late October 2021. The country now joins the UK and USA as destinations excluded from Qantas.

“While Qantas is in discussions about resuming flights to several Pacific and Asian destinations, the airline is now limiting its operations to New Zealand and Australia. The decision to halt flights to SA until late 2021 comes just weeks after Qantas CEO, Alan Joyce, announced that services to the UK and US would remain suspended for a year.”

The announcement follows a temporary suspension of Etihad flights between SA and Abu Dhabi.

Global travel was suspended with the United Arab Emirates’ airline, Etihad Airways, being one of the airlines to recently suspend its flights between Abu Dhabi and SA for the summer season and returning in March 2021.

The Business insider reported "Etihad Airways suspends flights to SA" November 16 2020, that Etihad Airways has operated flights to and form SA since 2005, and it will suspends its flights between Johannesburg and Abu Dhabi at the end of the year.

“As part of an ongoing review of network performance, Etihad Airways has suspended its flights from Abu Dhabi to Johannesburg until 28 March 2021,” the Abu Dhabi-based carrier's head of corporate communication Michael Campbell confirmed. “The decision to suspend the route is a commercial one, and a direct consequence of the affect of Covid-19 on global travel and tourism demand.”

Before the global coronavirus pandemic and associated restrictions on international travel, Qantas had a steady connection to OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, offering six direct flights to Sydney every week.

TimesLIVE reported "Coronavirus, lack of demand forces SAA to suspend international flights' March 20 2020 that SAA announced it will immediately suspend all international operations until the end of  May, in response to a government travel ban aimed at stopping  the transmission of the coronavirus.