The South African Civil Aviation Authority has suspended all Comair flight operations. This affects kulula.com and British Airways flights.
“Comair regrets that our flights have been suspended by the CAA for 24 hours. This will affect both British Airways (operated by Comair) as well as kulula.com. Our executive team are engaging with the CAA on an urgent basis,” said a notice on kulula.com’s website.
Kulula.com advised passengers booked to travel on Saturday not to travel to the airport unless alternative arrangements with another carrier can be made.
"Comair deeply regrets the inconvenience caused, and we are doing our utmost to restore our operations as soon as possible.”
According to a statement by the aviation authority, the decision was reached after an investigation into a recent spate of safety incidents at the operator. The authority added that the action was a “precautionary suspension”.
“This is a precautionary suspension for a period of 24 hours, within which the operator must demonstrate to the regulator that the risk and safety management systems are effective in managing potential hazards.”
The authority added that in the past month alone Comair operations had experienced occurrences ranging from engine failures, engine malfunctions and landing-gear malfunctions, among others.
Owing to this, the authority launched an investigation to determine whether Comair is compliant with civil aviation regulations. An inspection was done to review Comair's quality control and safety management systems.
The outcome of the investigations yielded three level 1 findings, and one level 2 finding.
“In terms of the oversight philosophy of the regulator, a level 1 finding which poses an immediate risk must be closed immediately, and a level 2 finding must be closed within seven days,” the authority said.
Comair has until Sunday morning to meet the requirements imposed by the regulator. If it fails to do so, its flight operations will be suspended indefinitely.
IOL