Embraer and Airlink sign contract for Collaborative Inventory Planning
Johannesburg-based Airlink was established as SA Airlink in 1992 and initially aligned its branding with that of South African Airways and joined SAA’s Voyager frequent-flyer programme. In 1997, SA Airlink…
February 11, 2025
Johannesburg-based Airlink was established as SA Airlink in 1992 and initially aligned its branding with that of South African Airways and joined SAA’s Voyager frequent-flyer programme. In 1997, SA Airlink joined SAA and South African Express in a strategic alliance, creating the biggest airline network in Africa. A franchise agreement underpinned the alliance and SA Airlink became South African Airlink. In August 2000, the strategic alliance with South African Airways was further strengthened as a bilateral partnership.
In 2006, South African Airlink exited its strategic alliance with South African Airways and dropped the ‘South African’ branding from the airline’s name, while retaining a similar colour scheme, but with a new Sunbird logo. In February 2008, SA Airlink successfully completed the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA), and was placed on the IATA registry in its own right, using the code ‘4Z’.
SA Airlink changed its name to Airlink in 2020, emphasising the company’s status as an independent airline. The company ended its 23-year old franchise agreement with South African Airways that year, and unveiled a new livery, dropping any similarities to the South African Airways brand and incorporating the Airlink Sunbird logo set against sunrise colours in a new tail insignia.
Airlink is today claimed to be Southern Africa’s premier privately-owned regional airline. It is Africa’s second-largest airline when judged by the number of flights, and the third-largest by number of seats. Its main business is to provide services between smaller, under-served towns and larger hub airports, but does also operate on larger, mainline routes, and operates services to Madagascar and St Helena Island, as well as offering worldwide connections through its partners.
In August 2024, Qatar Airways acquired a 25% shareholding in Airlink.
By then, Airlink operated an all-jet, all-Embraer, 67-aircraft fleet, including 16 ERJ-135s, 11 ERJ-140s, 3 E-170s, 3 E-175s, 28 E-190s and six E-195s. Airlink has been an Embraer operator and customer since 2001, and has now become the first customer for the customised Embraer Collaborative Inventory Planning (ECIP) system in Africa. ECIP will optimize Airlink’s inventory levels and reduce operational costs for its fleet of ERJ and E-Jets.
ECIP offers several advantages to customer airlines. First, most of the inventory investment is undertaken by Embraer, substantially reducing the investment usually carried out by airlines. Fixed yearly pricing for each part allows customers to balance costs more precisely, while leveraging guaranteed performance levels by Embraer Services & Support. The operation is data-driven, with a weekly ordering recommendation based on customer usage and stock level data. This is created using advanced software and Embraer’s Planning experience, which is shared collaboratively. Finally, all airlines participating in ECIP can count on Embraer’s materials management expertise and a global logistics network with best-in-class performance.
Carlos Naufel, President and CEO, Embraer Services & Support noted that: “Embraer has a long-term relationship with Airlink, which is one of our main customers worldwide. This deal shows the airline’s trust in our support. We will work even harder to help Airlink gain efficiency and reduce inventory costs in all operations through ECIP, a program that offers the best-in-class performance customized to each inventory, while providing access to Embraer’s global logistics network.”
With its fleet of 67 modern jetliners, Airlink serves cities throughout Southern Africa. Confusingly, the new agreement will provide support for 68 Embraer aircraft (seemingly one more than the airline has).
Rodger Foster, Airlink Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director said that: “The longstanding relationship between Embraer and Airlink has matured over time through mutual understanding and close collaboration. Today Airlink is proudly the largest operator of Embraer Regional Jet airliners on the continent, and we have clear objectives of expanding and densifying our footprint, which will require additional capacity and more aircraft. Impeccable product support is an imperative to continuously deliver safe and reliable service excellence, which is an Airlink mantra. We are ‘joined at the hip’ with Embraer, and this ECIP speaks volumes to mutual commitment to optimizing the operational and economic performance of our fleet.”
