The South African Airways Museum is now open to the public. It was started in 1986 by a group of volunteers at Jan Smuts Airport (now Johannesburg International Airport). The museum is now based at the Transvaal Aviation Club's club house at Rand Airport in Germiston.
South African Airways was founded in 1934, making it one of the world's oldest national airlines. The museum depicts its early history, including scale models of the aircraft, uniforms and personnel. Nearby you can see the Boeing 747 Lebombo which flew over Ellis Park before the start of the Rugby World Cup final between the Springboks and the All Blacks on 24 June 1995. The Boeing was donated to the museum and made its historic landing on the short and narrow runway at Rand Airport on 05 March 2004. Other past aircraft show the different tail insignia used, from the orange with a blue and white stripe with the small flying springbok (1960 to 1984), to the orange with the larger flying springbok (1984 to 1994) to the current multi-coloured tail (from 1994 onwards). For more information contact Barry ELS at 082 859 6100.