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Comair operated British Airways and Kulula flights in SA. Picture: SUPPLIED
Kulula and British Airways planes will be back in SA's airspace from Thursday.
This after the Civil Aviation Authority lifted the suspension against Comair, which operates the two airlines domestically.
In a statement, the CAA said that the audit and assessment of Comair’s submissions after the suspension of the company’s operating licence at the weekend was completed on Wednesday evening.
“The SACAA audited Comair after a spate of occurrences which posed safety risks by Kulula.com and BA Comair airlines. The regulator sought to confirm Comair’s compliance with applicable Civil Aviation Regulations (CARs). The inspection was also aimed at reviewing Comair’s safety management systems (SMS) and quality control management system (QA) to establish compliance related to the reporting, analysis and follow-up on occurrences, and corrective action plans to prevent recurrence,” the CAA said in a statement.
After the completion of the audit, the suspension was lifted with “immediate effect”.
On its official Twitter account, kulula.com said that flights would resume from Thursday, but on a phased-in schedule.
“This brings to an end a five-day suspension of the air operator certificate which was imposed by the regulator from March 12. The director of civil aviation heralds the commitment shown by the regulator’s inspectorate team from the first day of the audit leading up to the sleepless nights spent evaluating evidence all in the interest of ensuring aviation safety.
“The co-operation and commitment of the operator [Comair] during this period signalled the seriousness with which the operator took this matter and the openness displayed in the days leading up to this day.
“It is this collaboration that ensures that civil aviation safety remains a top priority in SA,” the CAA said in a statement.
Taking to Twitter, Kulula said: “Our focus is to get our operations back to normal as quickly as possible and schedules will therefore be restored in a phased manner. Customers are advised to check the schedules on the airlines’ websites before coming to the airport.
“Customers with existing reservations will be contacted directly. Customers who plan to fly in the next 72 hours, and have not been rebooked, should contact the Contact Centre on 0860 4 359 22 / +27 (11) 921 0222 (British Airways) or 086 158 5852 (http://kulula.com).
“Please do not go to the airport unless you have a newly confirmed booking.”
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
Civil Aviation Authority lifts Comair suspension
Kulula and British Airways planes will be back in SA's airspace from Thursday.
This after the Civil Aviation Authority lifted the suspension against Comair, which operates the two airlines domestically.
In a statement, the CAA said that the audit and assessment of Comair’s submissions after the suspension of the company’s operating licence at the weekend was completed on Wednesday evening.
“The SACAA audited Comair after a spate of occurrences which posed safety risks by Kulula.com and BA Comair airlines. The regulator sought to confirm Comair’s compliance with applicable Civil Aviation Regulations (CARs). The inspection was also aimed at reviewing Comair’s safety management systems (SMS) and quality control management system (QA) to establish compliance related to the reporting, analysis and follow-up on occurrences, and corrective action plans to prevent recurrence,” the CAA said in a statement.
After the completion of the audit, the suspension was lifted with “immediate effect”.
On its official Twitter account, kulula.com said that flights would resume from Thursday, but on a phased-in schedule.
“This brings to an end a five-day suspension of the air operator certificate which was imposed by the regulator from March 12. The director of civil aviation heralds the commitment shown by the regulator’s inspectorate team from the first day of the audit leading up to the sleepless nights spent evaluating evidence all in the interest of ensuring aviation safety.
“The co-operation and commitment of the operator [Comair] during this period signalled the seriousness with which the operator took this matter and the openness displayed in the days leading up to this day.
“It is this collaboration that ensures that civil aviation safety remains a top priority in SA,” the CAA said in a statement.
Taking to Twitter, Kulula said: “Our focus is to get our operations back to normal as quickly as possible and schedules will therefore be restored in a phased manner. Customers are advised to check the schedules on the airlines’ websites before coming to the airport.
“Customers with existing reservations will be contacted directly. Customers who plan to fly in the next 72 hours, and have not been rebooked, should contact the Contact Centre on 0860 4 359 22 / +27 (11) 921 0222 (British Airways) or 086 158 5852 (http://kulula.com).
“Please do not go to the airport unless you have a newly confirmed booking.”
Flight timetables can be found here for Kulula and here for British Airways.
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