Welcome to LIFT - South Africa’s Brand New Airline

Many people commented that it crazy starting an airline in these times. The determined people at LIFT truly believe its the best time ever for this ambitious endeavour.

Gidon Novick believes the outdated supply-driven‚ high-debt airline model needs to change. Among many other things‚ Covid has proven that it’s simply not a sustainable approach. Instead, he is convinced it is time for a demand-driven business model. One that’s super-efficient and will leverage off record low input costs will be both agile and flexible.

Novick plans to run the airline with customer-obsessed philosophy. According to him, the industry has become overly rule-bound and rigid and customers need to be placed back at the centre of all decisions. “It's been a tough time in the country and across the world and we all need a little relief. The service industry is just the place to start” he stated.

LIFTs mission is to demonstrate that South Africa can compete with the best while keeping customers at the centre of our operations. South Africans live in the most magnificent country with an abundance of talented‚ special people. Just what is needed to make the vision happen

Living in these uncertain times makes it super difficult to plan our lives‚ let alone our travels. When it comes to keeping up with life’s unexpected detours‚ the last thing anyone needs is unnecessary admin or costs. LIFT plan to create a flexible air travel environment they not just referring to selecting seats or baggage preferences, it goes deeper than that.

Flights can be changed multiple times or cancelled to credit into your LIFT wallet. Changes made 24 hours or more in advance‚ will come at no additional fees or penalties. If the fare for a newly selected flight is higher‚ the customer will just need to pay the difference. If it’s lower‚ LIFT will credit the customer, no charges will be due if the travellers name or details change. If a passenger happens to arrive early for a flight which often happens with business flights, LIFT will do their best to accommodate the passenger on an earlier flight at no additional charge.

LIFT has assembled a dynamic mix of industry stalwarts‚ independents‚ fresh-thinkers and expert leaders. Jonathan Ayache‚ a co-founder of LIFT‚ was previously the Head of Operations for Uber in Sub Saharan Africa. This gives us the added advantage of Uber-thinking operations that consider every detail of the journey. Gidon Novick‚himself brings a wealth of aviation experience and expertise to the startup.

The current state of the airline industry has resulted in thousands of talented and experienced people being available. LIFT took full advantage of this by assembling a group of truly special and talented people‚ to help build this new airline.

LIFT will be operated by Global Aviation Operations (Pty) LTD and will make use of a fleet of 4th generation Airbus A320 aircraft. The A320 is one of the most technologically advanced aircraft in the skies‚ with full fly-by-wire digital control systems and glass cockpit display technology. It’s fitted with the most modern safety systems onboard including a Flight Envelope Protection System and a Category 3B Auto-land certification‚ allowing for safe landings in poor visibility conditions. The fleet has been in operation at Global for the past six years servicing both global and local airlines. These robust machines are ideal for conditions in the South African market. The fleet is maintained in accordance with Airbus’ Stringent Fleet Management Program.

LIFT ground and cabin crew will be dressed by leading online fashion retailer‚ Superbalist. And when it comes to their inflight catering‚ they have joined forces with Vida e Caffe for real coffee and snacks. Travellers on afternoon flights will even be treated to a wine-tasting‚ featuring a selection of South Africa’s top wineries.

Global has been a reliable lessor of aircraft to local and International airlines for decades. Global holds a local Air Operator Certificate (AOC) and is a licensed domestic operator. Global is a fully integrated aviation company with in-house maintenance‚ crew training and flight operations. Global is also EASA certified‚ allowing it to operate in the European Union. Kulula founder Gidon Novick and his Cape Town based team have partnered with Global to provide the commercial‚ marketing and customer service expertise to LIFT.

“We’ve been an agile support service to airlines around the world for 20 years. LIFT is a natural extension into the local airline industry. The collaboration with Gidon and his team allows us to focus on safe and reliable flight operations while leveraging off their commercial experience and expertise. They are obsessed with building a customer service culture. The team has really come together beautifully.” said Quentin Tomaselli‚ CEO of Global Aviation.