On 28 November 2025, Airlink marked its Black Friday fares promotion with the rollout of its latest Skybucks custom-liveried aircraft, the first to come out of the airline’s new aircraft painting facility at Polokwane International Airport. The Embraer ERJ135LR, registration ZS-TGC, featured a new black paint scheme and made its operational debut the following day on the Polokwane to Johannesburg O. R. Tambo International Airport route.
A team of six Airlink personnel completed the repainting in 18 days. According to Samuel Mampshika, Airlink’s Executive Manager: Responsible Person Aircraft, “The process began with the careful removal of the old paint, through light sanding technique, to prepare the surface. We then applied the new, high-quality paint, which is designed for durability and a gloss smoothy finish… The final finish must be exceptionally smooth to minimise drag. This is a highly specialised task, and Airlink’s new paint shop in Polokwane is established to be a centre of excellence for this specialised field.”
Airlink has a fleet of 70 modern Embraer jet aircraft and currently operates 67 routes serving 47 destinations across 15 Southern African countries, including Madagascar and St Helena Island.
