Airlink, Southern Africa’s premier airline has launched its latest “little black number” – a custom-liveried aircraft, the first to emerge from its new aircraft painting facility at Polokwane International Airport.
This is not the first of its kind for Airlink. The carrier has other “Skybucks” custom-liveried aircraft in its fleet. The first was rolled out in 2023.
AIRLINK: NEW LITTLE BLACK NUMBER
The Embraer ERJ135LR jetliner, registration ZS-TGC, in its new seductive black paint-scheme is expected to make its operational debut on 29 November- when it operates from Polokwane to Airlink’s hub at Johannesburg’s O.R. Tambo International Airport.
It took a team of six Airlink personnel just 18 days to “dress-up” the aircraft in its smart Skybucks frequent flyer programme colours.
CREATING EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITES
The airline is indeed acting sustainably by carring out these projects in provincial parts of South Africa.
By conducting paintwork projects in locations outside of the main urban hubs, Airlink is doing its bit to create work in regional areas, where employment opportunities are scarce.
“The process began with the careful removal of the old paint, through light sanding technique, to prepare the surface. We then applied the new, high-quality paint, which is designed for durability and a gloss smoothy finish. In aviation, an uneven application can disrupt aerodynamic airflow, thereby compromising the aircraft’s performance and fuel efficiency. The final finish must be exceptionally smooth to minimize drag. This is a highly specialized task, and Airlink’s new paint shop in Polokwane is established to be a centre of excellence for this specialised field,” said Samuel Mampshika, Airlink’s Executive Manager: Responsible Person Aircraft.
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