‘Lebombo’, a brand new Boeing 747-200 was handed over to South African Airways on 22 October 1971.
Lebombo was the first 747 to join SAA, but unusually, it was in fact the airline’s 3rd 747 off the production line, the airlines first two aircraft were delayed due to production issues in Seattle.
Registered as ZS-SAN and sporting the familiar Orange tail with a flash and Springbok logo, she was delivered at Jan Smuts International Airport on 6 November 1971.
Her first revenue flight was on 10 December 1971 on Johannesburg-Luanda-London route.
On 24 June 1995, Lebombo swooped across a crowded Ellis Park Stadium at the Rugby World Cup final between South Africa and New Zealand, bearing “Good Luck Bokke” beneath her wings.
South Africa beat New Zealand 15-12.
In March of 2002 the South African Airways Museum Society asked South African Airways if they would donate, a Boeing 747 aircraft to the South African Airways Museum Society based at Rand Airport, and SAA agreed.
Lebombo’s last revenue service was Flight SA3061 from Lagos to Johannesburg on 24 November 2003. In 2004, Lebombo was retired and withdrawn from service after 32 years of flawless flying career.
On an overcast and dull Friday morning 5 March 2004, Lebombo touched down at Rand Airport, Germiston, just outside Johannesburg.
It was a case of third time lucky, as the planned landing had been postponed twice due to poor weather conditions on 14 and 28 February.
During her active flying days, Lebombo flew for 107,690 hours and made 20,304 takeoffs and landings.
