South Africa’s aviation regulator the SACAA has suspended Comair’s flight operations indefinitely after doing so for precautionary at first for 24 hours
The airline has failed to demonstrate to the regulator that safety and quality control systems are satisfactory for flight operations to continue
SACAA says it paid a visit to the Operator to investigate and determine the cause of a spate of occurrences affecting a concerning number of flights operated by Kulula.com and BA Comair.
The SACAA sought to confirm Comair’s compliance with applicable Civil Aviation Regulations (CARs). The inspection was also aimed at reviewing Comair’s quality control management system (QC) and safety management systems (SMS) to establish compliance related to reporting, analysis and follow-up on occurrences, and corrective action plans to prevent recurrence.
“This resulted in the Regulator raising three level 1 findings, and one level 2 finding. In terms of the oversight philosophy of the Regulator, a level 1 finding is an outcome which poses an immediate risk to safety and security, and it must be closed with immediate effect and a level 2 finding must be closed within 7 days.”
Comair CEO Glenn Orsmond commented to Fin24: “This is a huge blow to our customers, employees and the flying public as it effectively takes 40% of the capacity out of the market. The implications for the aviation sector and the country are considerable should the suspension continue for any length of time,”
