LIFT (airline)

LIFT
LIFT Airbus A320-231
IATA ICAO Call sign
GE GBB GLOBE
Founded2020
Commenced operations
10 December 2020; 5 years ago (2020-12-10)
HubsO. R. Tambo International Airport
Fleet size6
Destinations3
Parent companyGlobal Airways
HeadquartersCape Town, South Africa
Key people
  • Cilliers Jordaan - Commercial Director


Websitewww.lift.co.za

LIFT (sometimes stylized in lowercase, and officially Global Aviation Operations), is a South African airline, based in Cape Town.

The company currently operates travel on domestic routes from a hub at O. R. Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg, using a fleet of Airbus A320 aircraft that are operated by Global Airways.

History

LIFT was established in October 2020 and commenced operations on December 10, 2020. LIFT is a joint venture between former Comair CEO Gidon Novick, former Uber executive Jonathan Ayache, and Global Airways,[citation needed] a South African-based ACMI specialist that operates Airbus A320 & A340 aircraft. Other founder investors include entrepreneurs Rael Levitt and Alon Apteker.

The name LIFT was selected after the public were invited to name the airline in a social media campaign. LIFT Airline was selected after being submitted by eight contestants, who agreed to share the main prize of free flights for a year. Their names are inscribed on the body of the first three aircraft in the fleet. The airline's name was revealed on October 29, 2020.

Destinations

As of December 2025, Lift serves the following scheduled destinations:

Country City Airport Notes Refs
South Africa Cape Town Cape Town International Airport
Durban King Shaka International Airport
George George Airport Terminated
Johannesburg O. R. Tambo International Airport Hub
Réunion Saint-Pierre Saint-Pierre de la Réunion

Fleet

As of August 2023, the LIFT fleet consists of six Airbus A320 aircraft, and has an additional four on order.

Aircraft In service Orders Passengers Notes Refs
C Y Total
Airbus A320-200 6 4 12 150 162 operated by Global Airways
Total 6 4 —

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 ch-aviation.com - Lift Airlines Archived 12 November 2022 at the Wayback Machine retrieved 12 November 2022
  2. 1 2 Lorne Philpot (14 May 2026). "Lift Airline expands fleet in bid to scale up operations". Sustainability in the Sky. Retrieved 21 May 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 lift.co.za - Schedule Archived 12 November 2022 at the Wayback Machine retrieved 12 November 2022
  4. ↑ "» Lift Airlines". Retrieved 30 September 2026.
  5. ↑ Denise Mhlanga, Denise (22 March 2022). "Inospace in R1.25bn last-mile logistics joint venture with Fortress". BusinessLIVE. Archived from the original on 1 April 2022. Retrieved 1 April 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  6. ↑ "Alon Apteker". Avante-Garde. Archived from the original on 23 May 2023. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
  7. ↑ "Brand New Airline". Archived from the original on 16 November 2020.
  8. ↑ "You Can Name South Africa's Newest Airline". Archived from the original on 1 November 2020.
  9. ↑ "New SA Airline to be named by public here's your chance to be famous". Archived from the original on 5 November 2020.
  10. 1 2 "SA's 'new airline' now has a name – beating these comical suggestions". Archived from the original on 1 November 2020.
  11. ↑ "SA's Newest Airline Finally Has a Name". Archived from the original on 1 November 2020.
  12. ↑ "Lift - About Us". Archived from the original on 10 December 2020. Retrieved 10 December 2020.
  13. ↑ "Lift launches new route, expands flights in South Africa". 22 September 2022. Archived from the original on 22 September 2022. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
  14. ↑ "New international route announced for Durban airport". Northglen News. The Citizen. 12 December 2025. Retrieved 11 May 2026.