The South African Civil Aviation Authority has reinstated Comair’s Air Operators’ Certificate.
* Comair has since filed for liquidation - see the latest update here.
British Airways (operated by Comair) and kulula.com flights schedules are operating again on Thursday, 17 March, following the holding company's efforts to get its operations back to normal as quickly as possible.
Schedules will be restored in a phased manner, according to a statement released by kulula.
Customers are advised to check the schedules on the airlines’ websites before coming to the airport:
- kulula.com / 086 158 5852 (kulula.com)
- British Airways (operated by Comair) 0860 4 359 22 / +27 (11) 921 0222
"Customers who had a confirmed booking for today onwards can proceed to the airport as normal. For those customers whose flights have been rescheduled or changed, you will receive an SMS with new details.
"Customers who plan to fly in the next 72 hours, and have not been rebooked, should contact the Contact Centre."
16 March, 2022: British Airways and kulula flights remain grounded on Wednesday, 16 March as holding company Comair confirmed it was urgently addressing the safety concerns raised by the South African Civil Aviation Authority.
Passengers are being advised to keep in touch with their respective airlines to make alternative arrangements.
15 March, 2022: Comair flies local and regional routes from South Africa under the British Airways (BA) livery as part of a licence agreement, as well operates the kulula low-cost brand.
The SACAA, extended a 24-hour precautionary grounding on Sunday.
No details regarding the safety concerns raised by the SACAA have been released by the airline.
According to a post shared by kulula, the airline is awaiting the outcome by the safety regulator, to review the resolutions put in place to resolve the safety issues that have caused the grounding.
kulula has advised its customers on British Airways (operated by Comair) flights that the British Airways’ book with confidence policy will apply.
Customers may also contact the Contact Centre on [email protected].
Its kulula.com customers will "receive a full credit to the value of their ticket deposited in their Travel Bank for future travel valid for a period of six months".
Customers wishing to rebook should email [email protected]."
FlySafair adds additional flights
Local, low-cost carrier FlySafair has added additional flights to assist passengers who have been left stranded by the grounding.
Kirby Gordon, the chief marketing officer at FlySafair states " this weekend’s groundings meant that almost four in every 10 passengers due to travel were left stranded".
There were concerns about pricing for FlySafair's last-minute seats, with Gordon explaining that as an aircraft fills, the seats become incrementally more expensive.
"The first seats to sell on a low-cost carrier are usually sold at a loss. The last-available seats command the highest prices and, therefore, fares over holidays and other periods of high demand are usually higher," adds Gordon.
He also cautioned that "generally higher fares may be on the horizon for all airlines, as oil prices shoot up due to international developments.
"This obviously has a massive impact on the price of jet fuel, which accounts for almost 40 percent of our cost base.”
14 March: The South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) has grounded Comair’s planes indefinitely on Sunday over “unresolved safety issues” affecting operations for low-cost airline Kulula and British Airways and leaving hundreds of passengers stranded.
Comair flies local and regional routes from South Africa under the British Airways (BA) livery as part of a licence agreement, as well operates the Kulula low-cost brand.
According to a statement released by the SACAA, it had extended a 24-hour precautionary grounding.
Minister of Transport Fikile Mbalula also issued a statement confirming he was advised of the decision taken by the SACAA to “suspend the air operator certificate of Comair as a precautionary measure”.
“This action follows a series of safety incidents, involving British Airways Comair. The suspension was meant to end on Sunday, but Comair has not adequately addressed all the necessary safety issues,” says the SACAA.
The SACAA has not elaborate on what outstanding safety issues Comair needed to address before flying again.
Despite working through the night, Comair will not be able to resume operations today. The SACAA still needs to review documentation provided overnight. We continue to engage constructively with the SACAA.
— kulula (@kulula) March 13, 2022Comair posted the following message on its site saying, "Comair regrets to advise that its flights remain cancelled today 14 March with the indefinite suspension by the CAA of our operating licence until such time as they have had time to review and satisfy themselves that the items they have raised are closed.
"Once again, our heartfelt apologies for the untold inconvenience this has caused our passengers . We are continuing to engage with the CAA to get the suspension lifted, but cannot confirm when this will be.
"For customers on British Airways (operated by Comair) flights, British Airways’ booking with confidence policy will apply. Details can be found here: www.britishairways.com/travel/book-with-confidence/public/en_gb Customers may also contact the Contact Centre on [email protected].
"kulula.com customers can rebook with no change penalties, subject to availability of the same fare class. Customers wishing to rebook should e-mail [email protected].
"Comair will update social media channels with the most up-to-date information and customers will be kept informed via SMS. Affected passengers have been advised to make alternative arrangements, especially those with connecting flights.
Read more by Topic: