South African Airways said on Thursday its plan to fly 23 percent fewer flights by the end of the year as it retires five aircraft will not include cutting local routes, the company’s chief executive said in a radio interview.

“No we are not going to do that (cut internal routes), we are looking at the numbers, and the numbers will be the deciding factor,” acting chief executive Musa Zwane said in an interview on Talk Radio 702.

Zwane said the loss-making airline, which depends on government debt guarantees of about 20 billion rand ($1.5 billion), would look at trimming overseas flights as well as routes to east and central Africa.