It is a tough blow for British Airways in South AfricaThe Group is one of the world's most important markets, and certainly THE most important on the African continent. And certainly THE largest on the African continent.
On Sunday 13 March, the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) indefinitely suspended flights by the domestic airline Comair. for safety reasons. The injunction was given on Saturday 12 March. But what appeared to be a 24-hour standstill will take longer.
The South African Civil Aviation Authority justifies this suspension on the grounds of a proliferation of incidents in recent weeks at Comair, pointing to a lack of maintenance and safety rules. SACAA has confirmed that the suspension will be maintained until its concerns have been adequately addressed by the company.
This concerns all the airline's domestic and regional flights, as well as its low-cost subsidiary Kulula.com. According to Glenn Orsmond, CEO of Comair, "This is a huge blow to our customers, employees and the travelling public as it effectively removes 40 % of capacity from the market. The implications for the aviation sector and the country are considerable if the suspension is prolonged." 2019, Comair and its subsidiary Kulula had carried six million passengers.
British Airways embarrassed
There is also the problem of British Airways. The South African carrier has been operating under franchise for the British airline since 1996.. Comair operates connecting flights with BA flights in Johannesburg. These are mainly domestic routes - in particular from Johannesburg to Cape Town, Durban or Port Elizabeth. But there are also many regional destinations from South Africa's economic metropolis. These include Mauritius, Harare (Zimbabwe) and Windhoek (Namibia).
Suspension means that BA passengers will have to find alternative ways to get to Comair stations. However, the company is continuing to make representations to the SACAA to have the suspension lifted. However, it is unable to say when a rapid return to normal is expected.
