South Africa's largest airline is even threatened with license revocation

The trouble began in October. Back then, two competitors approached the International Air Services Licensing Council IASC. The authority is responsible for allocating and withdrawing traffic rights in South Africa. And it initiated an investigation following the complaint by Airlink and Lift.

The ruling revealed that Fly Safair's ownership structure did not comply with South African regulations. Under current law, foreign companies may hold a maximum of 25 percent of South African airlines. However, the airline's main shareholder is the Irish company ASL Aviation Holdings. According to the local press, it holds 74.86 percent of the shares.

The International Air Services Licensing Council must therefore impose sanctions against Fly Safair. And thus against the country's largest airline, which has a domestic market share of around 60 percent. The sanctions can range from fines to the withdrawal of the operating license.

However, Fly Safair has already stated that it is working closely with the authorities to resolve the problem. Moreover, the rule regarding ownership only applies to international routes, as domestic flights are based on a different license, the Business Tech newspaper quotes the airline as saying. Abroad, it flies to Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Fly Safair is the low-cost subsidiary of Safair, a South African charter airline founded in 1965. It currently serves 14 destinations in South Africa and neighboring countries. The fleet consists of 35 Boeing 737s.