South Africa’s state-owned carrier, South African Airways (SAA), will not be flying to Malawi in the short term because the east African country is refurbishing its airport in the country’s capital, Blantyre, it said on Wednesday.

The airport’s flight landing strip is being revamped and the upkeep is underway, SAA said on Wednesday.

SAA added that flights will be suspended for the time it will take to revamp the airport, which was closed by Malawi’s aviation authorities.

It is not clear how long it will take to work on the Malawian Airport.

Relations between Malawi and South Africa nearly turned sour last year when South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma, in one of his many gaffes, likened Malawi to an underdeveloped country.

This struck a nerve in many of the country’s government ministers and political commentators.

However, the ruling ANC made amends and invited the current president of Malawi, Joyce Banda, to be a guest of honour at the late President Nelson Mandela’s funeral. This was in late December last year.

To a hearty round of applause, Banda, speaking at the funeral of the iconic leader, likened leadership to a relationship, with leaders loving their people and the people reciprocating.