Kulula and British Airways flights “suspended indefinitely” in South Africa

Kulula and British Airways flights in South Africa have been “suspended indefinitely”, following a decision by South Africa’s Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA).

As reported by MyBroadband, the SACAA has suspended Comair’s Air Operator Certificate privileges “indefinitely”.

Comair operates Kulula and British Airways flights in the country.

The reason for the suspension of the licence, said the SACAA, is concern over safety incidents.

This includes Comair experiencing issues “ranging from engine failures, engine malfunction, and landing gear malfunctions in the past month,” stated the report.

While Comair can appeal the suspension, the company stated its flights on Sunday would not be taking place.

“Despite working through the night, Comair will not be able to resume operations today,” said Kulula on Twitter.

“The SACAA still needs to review documentation provided overnight. We continue to engage constructively with the SACAA.”

“We deeply regret the inconvenience to our passengers and are committed to re-accommodating you to the best of our ability.”

“We urge affected passengers not to travel to the airport unless they have been able to make alternative arrangements.”

The findings

MyBroadband’s report stated that the SACAA received feedback from Comair at 07:30 on Sunday morning, following its notice to suspend its flights.

This response will be reviewed by the authority.

The SACAA said that as part of its oversight role, it seeks to confirm Comair’s compliance with the Civil Aviation Regulations.

It is also examining Comair’s quality control management system and safety management systems, with the aim of establishing compliance related to reporting, analysis, and follow-up on occurrences – and the corrective action plans to prevent recurrence, it said.

“The commitment to safety in this case supersedes any other need and this is to ensure that South Africa maintains its safety record of having zero fatal airline accidents in over thirty years on South African soil,” it said.