Comair has announced that Kulula.com and the South African arm of British Airways will start operating again on the morning of Thursday, 17 March 2022.
This news follows the recent suspension of these flight operators in the country by the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) due to a concern over safety incidents.
SACAA has now reinstated Comair’s Air Operator’s Certificate, said the company.
“The British Airways and Kulula schedules will be restored in a phased manner and customers are advised to check the schedules on the airlines’ websites before coming to the airport,” said Comair.
Customers with existing reservations will be contacted directly, it said, and updates around the return of services will be posted on the companies’ various social media channels.
SACAA findings
In its initial report, the SACAA said part of the reason for suspending Comair’s operator’s licence was due to the company experiencing issues “ranging from engine failures, engine malfunction, and landing gear malfunctions in the past month.”
To remedy the situation, SACAA said that it seeks to confirm Comair’s compliance with the Civil Aviation Regulations.
“The SACAA findings concerned the level of evidential support of some management systems and procedures relating to quality assurance processes, the structuring and personnel in the safety department and documentation flow regarding repair confirmations,” said Comair.
Following the reinstatement of Comair’s licence, the flight operator said, “No safety and security findings were made regarding either flight operations or maintenance.”
Comair said during its suspension it chartered wide-bodied aircraft and accommodated customers on other airlines, “but with Comair operating 40% of the capacity in the market, there were not enough seats for everyone affected.”
“The past four days have demonstrated the implications of having so much capacity removed from the market at such short notice,” said the operator.
Comair said passengers who have been affected by the suspension can rebook their flights, and those who have emailed the contact centre will receive responses “in the next seven days.”
“Customers who have been affected will receive a full credit to the value of their ticket, valid for rebooking within six months of the original reservation date and with such flight reservations valid for use within 12 months of rebooking,” it said.
“Customers who plan to fly in the next 72 hours, and have not been rebooked, should contact the Contact Centre.”
Comair advised that customers should not go to the airport if they do not have a confirmed booking.
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