Who owns LIFT?
LIFT is owned by Global Aviation Operations (Pty) Ltd (South Africa).[1]
This ownership is reported in official statements but has not yet been matched to a regulatory filing.
Evidence: About LIFT - South Africa’s Most Flexible Airline, Global Aviation Operations (Pty) Ltd t/a LIFT. Last checked .
Key facts
- Current owner
- Global Aviation Operations (Pty) Ltd reported
- Owner HQ
- 🇿🇦 South Africa
- Origin
- 🇿🇦 South Africa
- Category
- Travel & transport › Airlines
- Last verified
- · 1 sources
About LIFT
LIFT is a South African domestic airline operated by Global Aviation Operations (Pty) Ltd. Its About page describes it as South Africa's most flexible airline, with penalty-free changes, a LIFT Wallet for instant refunds, Economy and Premium cabins, dog-friendly flights and up to 28 daily flights between Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban.
Ownership timeline of LIFT
Where LIFT sits in LIFT
Controlling ownership as of . Brands grouped under the entity that owns them; large groups are collapsed.
Open the full LIFT ownership tree →
Other brands in airlines, and who owns them
The 509 brands in airlines on Brandtree belong to 341 owners. The largest is Lufthansa Group, with 10.
| Brand | Owner | Owner based in |
|---|---|---|
| Air Dolomiti | Lufthansa Group | 🇩🇪 Germany |
| China Southern Airlines | China Southern Airlines | 🇨🇳 China |
| Air China | Air China | 🇨🇳 China |
| Aer Lingus | IAG | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom |
| LATAM Airlines Brasil | LATAM | 🇨🇱 Chile |
| Air France | Air France-KLM | 🇫🇷 France |
| AirAsia | AirAsia X | 🇲🇾 Malaysia |
| Calm Air | Exchange Income | 🇨🇦 Canada |
About the owner: LIFT
LIFT is a privately held company headquartered in South Africa. Brandtree records 1 brand under its control.
South African airline company that trades as LIFT; the site's footer credits Global Aviation Operations (Pty) Ltd t/a LIFT. Its About page calls LIFT South Africa's most flexible airline, with up to 28 daily flights between Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban, and says it took 3 months from inception to first ticket sales. The page names no shareholders and no launch year, so neither is recorded.
🇿🇦 LIFT and other South African brands
Brandtree records a controlling owner for 175 brands that began in South Africa. 12 of them (7%) are now controlled by a company headquartered in another country; LIFT is not one of them.
- Airlink — Airlink 🇿🇦
- Bidvest Freight — Bidvest 🇿🇦
- FlySafair — Safair 🇿🇦
- Grindrod Terminals — Grindrod 🇿🇦
- Santova Logistics — Santova 🇿🇦
- South African Airways — South African Airways 🇿🇦
Frequently asked questions
Who is the parent company of LIFT?
The parent company of LIFT is Global Aviation Operations (Pty) Ltd, a privately held company headquartered in South Africa.
Is LIFT South African?
Yes. LIFT originated in South Africa and its owner, Global Aviation Operations (Pty) Ltd, is also headquartered in South Africa.
Is LIFT still owned by Global Aviation Operations (Pty) Ltd?
Yes. As of 4 October 2026, LIFT is still owned by Global Aviation Operations (Pty) Ltd. The ownership record was last checked against primary sources on that date.
Sources (1) & corrections
Last verified . Every ownership fact above is backed by one of these primary documents. Numbers in brackets in the text refer to this list.
- [1] About LIFT - South Africa’s Most Flexible Airline — Global Aviation Operations (Pty) Ltd t/a LIFT, Official document; retrieved 4 October 2026.
Report a correction Opens a pre-filled GitHub issue. See our corrections policy.