Comair and SAA flights grounded: How passengers will be affected

Comair and SAA have warned of possible delays. Picture: Supplied.

Comair and SAA have warned of possible delays. Picture: Supplied.

Published Oct 22, 2019

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Some South African Airways (SAA) and Comair flights have been grounded due to irregular findings uncovered during a recent audit of South African Airways Technical (SAAT), both airlines revealed on Tuesday morning. 

SAA revealed it “may operate an amended flight schedule” following a decision to recall some of its aircraft to undertake compliance verification in line with the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) requirements.

The decision to recall the aircraft follows an oversight inspection conducted by SACAA at SAA’s maintenance subsidiary, SAAT.

“Some of the flights will operate later than usual, and SAA has implemented its contingency plans to ensure business continuity," the airline company revealed. 

The airline revealed that there were four domestic flight cancellations. 

“While there were only four domestic flight cancellations, SAA took steps to combine flights and deploy bigger aircraft to accommodate affected passengers. This has significantly reduced the impact of the inconvenience on the customers,” the statement added. 

SAA maintains that the inspection conducted by SACAA “was in accordance with its regulations and a necessary exercise to ensure compliance and safety.”

Comair affected 

Comair warned of possible travel disruptions as some of the company’s aircrafts are also affected by the audit. 

A statement revealed that the “affected aircraft may not be flown until the necessary corrective action has been carried out.”

The statement added: “Comair aims to minimise any disruption to its operations. We will keep our customers updated. We do apologise to our customers for any inconvenience to their travel plans and appreciate their support. We are working closely with SAAT to rectify the findings and getting our flights back on schedule as soon as possible."

Comair revealed that they maintain an IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) accreditation and the company is also audited by British Airways International, the Boeing Company as well as the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA).

Customers can check their latest flight status on the ba.com and kulula.com websites. 

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