COMMISSION CLEARS ACQUISITION WITH CONDITIONS ON LANSERIA AND INFORMATION EXCHANGE

The Competition Commission of South Africa considered the proposed acquisition of Safair Holdings Proprietary Limited by Harith Aviation Proprietary Limited at its ordinary meeting on 7 July 2026, and has recommended that the Competition Tribunal approve the transaction subject to two conditions: restrictions on information exchange between the parties, and a requirement that airline-related and airport-related goods or services provided to other airlines at Lanseria Airport are not offered on unfair, unreasonable or discriminatory terms.

The acquisition has its origins in a sale-and-purchase agreement entered into earlier in 2026 between Harith and its affiliates. Safair Holdings, the primary target firm, is ultimately controlled by ASL Aviation Holdings Designated Activity Company — an Ireland-based aviation group — and controls Safair Operations, the entity within which the FlySafair passenger airline business is housed. FlySafair operates scheduled domestic and regional passenger services and may transport cargo incidental to its passenger operations.

THE HARITH GROUP: STRUCTURE, OWNERSHIP AND AFRICA FOCUS

The primary acquiring firm, Harith Aviation, is jointly controlled by Pan-African Infrastructure Development Fund 2 SA (PAIDF 2) and Harith Infraco (RF) Limited. PAIDF 2 is an en commandite partnership represented by GP Fund 2 Proprietary Limited in its capacity as the fund’s general partner. Harith GP controls both PAIDF 2 and GP Fund 2 and is ultimately and solely controlled by Harith Holdings Proprietary Limited. InfraCo is not controlled by any firm. Per the Competition Commission’s characterisation, the Acquiring Group functions as an asset management firm specialising in infrastructure fund management through Harith GP, with primary activities encompassing the financing of infrastructure projects across energy, transportation, telecommunications, water and sanitation, and healthcare.

FLYSAFAIR: FROM 1965 CHARTER OPERATION TO DOMESTIC MARKET LEADER

FlySafair’s operational history spans more than six decades. The business traces its origins to 1965, when it was founded as a general aviation charter company. In 1970 it was acquired by Safmarine, which renamed it Safair Freighters; the entity served the South African Defence Force as a primary client through the 1980s. The low-cost carrier FlySafair was launched under a separate brand in 2013, with its first scheduled passenger flight departing in October 2014. The subsequent collapse of Comair — which operated the budget brand Kulula.com — and the effective exit of Mango, operated by South African Airways, removed the two principal competitors that had previously constrained FlySafair’s market share, opening the door to an aggressive and successful expansion.

By 2026, FlySafair operates a fleet of 37 Boeing 737-800 aircraft and controls the majority of domestic seat capacity in South Africa, serving Cape Town, George, Port Elizabeth, Johannesburg, Lanseria, Durban, East London and Bloemfontein. International routes have been added to Zanzibar, Mauritius, Harare, Livingstone, Victoria Falls and Maputo. The airline’s historical ownership by ASL Aviation Holdings, an Ireland-based entity, had attracted scrutiny from the Air Services Licensing Council under South African regulations requiring domestic airlines to maintain at least 75% local ownership. The Harith acquisition is positioned in part as a means of addressing that compliance requirement. The transaction remains subject to formal approval by the Competition Tribunal.