Comair back in the air after regulator reactivates its AOC
Comair's aircraft were grounded from 12 to 16 March 2022 after its Air Operator Certificate (AOC) was suspended by the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) due to operational failures.
British Airways (operated by Comair) and kulula.com resumed flights on Thursday 17 March 2022, with the first flight scheduled for 06:30. "Our aim is to restore full operations as soon as possible, but schedules will be restored in a phased manner," said Comair. The resumption of operations by the privately owned South African airline comes a day after it lifted the five-day suspension of its air operator's certificate.
The suspension by the South African Civil Aviation Authority followed a series of events that called into question the safety of Kulula.com and BA (Comair) operations. Over five days, the regulator reviewed Comair's safety management systems (SMS) and quality control (QA) management system, "to establish compliance related to the reporting, analysis and follow-up of occurrences, as well as corrective action plans to prevent their recurrence.
"The Director of Civil Aviation commends the commitment shown by the regulator's inspection team from day one of the audit, spending sleepless nights assessing evidence with the sole aim of ensuring aviation safety. The cooperation and commitment of the operator during this period is testament to the seriousness with which it has taken this matter. This collaboration confirms that civil aviation safety remains a top priority in South Africa," says SACAA.
