South African Airlines is set to resume operations next month after struggling with losses for months amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The airline was recently privatised in an effort to save it.

It has substantially shrunk its workforce from 4,700 to around 1,000 employees, essentially becoming a smaller airline. The reduction was achieved through voluntary severance packages and retrenchments.

Flights will now resume on 23 September with the airline saying it will first begin with domestic routes before international flights resume.

"In just under a month, the striking and familiar livery of SAA will once again be visible in the skies as the airline resumes operations," the airline said in a statement.

SAA survived for years on state bailouts even before the pandemic hit the industry.