Low-Cost carrier FlySafair has given its look a refresh with a new aircraft paint scheme and interior with original artworks commissioned from local artists.

• The airline has welcomed their 25th aircraft into the FlySafair fleet.
• In March 2022, FlySafair launched flights between OR Tambo and Mauritius, its first regional destination.
• FlySafair has also decorated the cabins of five aircraft with artworks from local artists.
• Visit www.sandtontimes.co.za for more stories.

As domestic flight prices escalate dramatically, South African domestic aviation is on a strong path to recovery after a turbulent year. Before the pandemic, South Africans used to enjoy their pick of approximately 1.6 million seats a month on domestic routes.

This number was vastly impacted by COVID-19 and the subsequent failures of several carriers who once contributed to that seat total, including Mango, SA Express and Comair. Today the market sits at about 1.2 million seats a month, which marks a full recovery after the exit of Comair. Supply is expected to increase even further as the 2022 summer holiday season approaches.

The first aircraft to don FlySafair’s new look is a Boeing 737-800 New Generation aircraft set to enter service for the airline from October 2022.

This is the 25th aircraft in our fleet and we’re excited to use this opportunity to add a little freshness to our look.

// Chief Marketing Officer at FlySafair, Kirby Gordon

FlySafair have managed post-pandemic recovery and growth well over the past two years. This month the airline will operate upwards of 122 flights a day, which is a 36% increase on October 2021 and 67% more than what the airline operated in October 2019, before COVID-19.

FlySafair has been around for 8 years now and after everything we’ve overcome we decided it was time to update our image a bit.

// Chief Marketing Officer at FlySafair, Kirby Gordon

The airline’s refreshed logo maintains the familiar pink and blue colouring with a subtle modernisation of the lettering. A new addition is a heart-shaped icon smartly constructed by joining the stems of two location pins.

Our aim has always been to connect people with who and what they love through our love of flying and so when we saw this concept about bringing two places together and forming a heart it just seemed like an obvious symbol for what we aim to do every day.

// Chief Marketing Officer at FlySafair, Kirby Gordon

The airline’s paint scheme has also been refreshed with the addition of a new navy-blue stripe to the aft section and tail, which is highlighted by a crisp white fuselage.

We wanted to find something elegant and sophisticated, but simple. The more complex a paint scheme the more costly it works out to be.

// Chief Marketing Officer at FlySafair, Kirby Gordon

Ever conscious of their low-cost roots FlySafair assures customers that even their new paint scheme has cost saving front of mind.

It seems pedantic but the pigments in darker colours of paint actually make the paint weigh more, so keeping the aircraft largely white means we save money on fuel which helps to keep ticket prices lower.

// Chief Marketing Officer at FlySafair, Kirby Gordon

In addition to this, the airline selected five local artists and commissioned them to develop artworks to decorate the aircraft interiors with imagery that celebrates South Africa and its people.

Passengers can already spot Michael Chandler and Ndumiso Nyoni’s artworks in the airline’s aircraft, while Zinhle Zulu, Joh Del and Yiull Damaso’s pieces are gradually being installed as the maintenance schedules allow.

This was the first time any of the artists had been asked to create a piece for the inside of an aircraft. Zinhle Zulu relished the unusual challenge and saw it as an opportunity to tackle a new canvas. She sought to celebrate South Africa’s heritage and incorporated different cultural symbols as well as parts of the Coat of Arms.

Michael Chandler put pen to paper and doodled his way across South Africa, drawing iconic landscapes like Table Mountain, Johannesburg’s cityscape and even a Karoo windpump. Ndumiso Nyoni drew inspiration from a FlySafair flight to Durban where he noticed the diverse group of passengers all moving in the same direction. He chose to recreate this in his design that includes a mix of symbols and signifiers to highlight the different cultures you’ll find in South Africa.

Joh Del’s piece is a celebration of travel starting again. He uses indigenous flowers in a composition that looks as though they have been thrown into the air in jubilation. Yiull Damaso wanted to capture the sense of calm he feels on a flight and chose to illustrate the serene blue crane using his iron and copper rust technique.

FlySafair flights are available between OR Tambo, Lanseria, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, George, East London, Durban and Bloemfontein.

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