On 19th January 1991, a Boeing 747, gleaming in the afternoon sun, swooped across the Johannesburg skyline and landed Runway 03L, this marked opening of new chapter for SAA. The Boeing 747-400 had arrived.
SAA took delivery of 4 airframes between 1991 and 1993, taking a further 4 in 1998 including two airframes built for Philippine Airlines but not taken up. These two aircraft, while painted in SAA livery, flew for several months with full Philippine Airlines interiors including logo’s. By 2011 the last 747-400 had left the fleet, two were sold to Cathay Pacific and converted to freighters, the rest went to Russian airline Transero.
| Registration | Delivery Date | Withdrawn from Use | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| ZS-SAV | 19/01/1991 | 15/01/2007 | Sold to Cathay Pacific |
| ZS-SAW | 28/06/1991 | 16/3/2006 | Sold to Cathay Pacific |
| ZS-SAX | 27/10/1992 | 19/10/2007 | To Transaero |
| ZS-SAY | 05/10/1993 | 18/09/2008 | To Transaero |
| ZS-SAK | 30/06/1998 | 30/06/1998 | To Transaero |
| ZS-SAZ | 30/11/1998 | 23/09/2011 | To Transaero |
| ZS-SBK | 31/12/1998 | 12/11/2007 | To Transaero |
| ZS-SBS | 31/12/1998 | 19/04/2009 | To Transaero |
South African Airways - A Complete History 