Mango CEO Nico Bezuidenhout resigns

August 20, 2020: Nico Bezuidenhout, CEO of Mango resigned to head up a European airline. He is the third executive to depart from Mango with the CFO and director of flight operations having left recently. 

As per a Travel News report, Bezuidenhout confirmed that he would be taking up his new post in Europe from November 1.

Bezuidenhout said, "I have been looking for international exposure for a number of years and this has now come across my path.  Recent happenings in the aviation industry may have contributed to a small extent, but it has been my plan all along."  

He said that his decision was 100 percent and categorically not a reflection on the financial state of Mango. Although not in business rescue like its mother firm South African Airways (SAA), Mango needs R1 billion in recapitalisation. 

He said Mango had been operating at about 6 percent of its normal seat capacity since restricted domestic flights were reintroduced under Level 3 in June. However, sales had surged four-fold in the last few days since all domestic travel restrictions were lifted under Level 2.  

In March this year, South African carrier FlySafair has expressed its interest in buying  the low-cost arm of SAA if it is put up for sale by the cash-strapped national carrier.

Two of Mango's fleet of 14 B737-800s were scheduled to return to lessors before Covid-19 and would now return at the end of August. 

Bezuidenhout has held the reins at Mango twice: First as founding CEO for 10 years between 2006 and 2016; and again since October 2019.