Comair, which operates flights by British Airways (BA) and Kulula, has been grounded indefinitely after failing to convince the SA Civil Aviation Authority (Sacaa) that it has remedied safety concerns uncovered by the regulator after an investigation into a string of mishaps.
The aviation regulator suspended Comair’s air operator certificate on Saturday for an initial 24 hours after an investigation into recent safety incidents by airlines operated by the company.
Comair, which entered voluntary business rescue in May 2020 after the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic brought local and international travel to a halt, had initially planned to resume BA and Kulula flights by midday on Sunday pending approval by Sacaa.
However, the aviation regulator informed Business Day on Sunday that Comair failed to demonstrate during the initial 24-hour suspension period that its risk and safety management systems are capable of managing potential hazards.
Its air operator certificate privileges are now suspended indefinitely until Comair has tackled all the safety concerns highlighted by Sacaa.
“We have suspended them indefinitely,” Phindiwe Gwebu, executive for corporate services at Sacaa, told Business Day.
Safety hazards
Sacaa said in a statement on Saturday that in the past month flights operated by Comair had experienced multiple safety hazards ranging from engine failures to engine and landing gear malfunctions.
That prompted Sacaa to visit Comair operations to determine whether it is complying with civil aviation regulations and to inspect its quality control and safety management systems.
The investigation revealed what Sacaa described as three level 1 findings, an aviation oversight term that indicates issues that pose an immediate safety risk and require immediate closure of operations. The regulator also made one level 2 finding, which requires operations to be closed within seven days.
Gwebu told Business Day that since early on Sunday morning, the regulator had been able to close only one of its level 1 findings against Comair. It was still assessing evidence submitted by the firm related to the two remaining level 1 findings.
Sacaa later issued another statement on Sunday, announcing Comair’s indefinite suspension and saying the airline operator began dispatching evidence in mitigation of its suspension from Saturday evening. The regulator said its inspection team worked through the night to review Comair’s evidence and accepted that it had taken corrective action to tackle one level 1 finding.
Comair submitted further evidence at 7.30am on Sunday, which Sacaa’s inspection team was reviewing. Under SA’s civil aviation regulations, Comair is able to lodge an appeal against Sacaa’s decision to ground it indefinitely, though at the time of writing, it was not clear what steps the company would take.
“This is a huge blow to our customers, employees and the flying public as it effectively takes 40% of the capacity out of the market,” said Comair CEO Glenn Orsmond. “The implications for the aviation sector and the country are considerable should the suspension continue for any length of time.”
Orsmond was unable to say when airlines operated by Comair would commence flying again, but said the company continued to engage with Sacaa to have the suspension lifted.
“Our priority now is to assist passengers who have been stranded,” said Orsmond.
“We have chartered two aircraft to assist vulnerable passengers and those who most urgently need to travel.”
Sacaa said it remained “fully committed” to ensuring that Comair is able to resume operating flights and has dispatched a “full team” to assess and review the airline operator’s evidence.
However, it said its commitment to safety superseded any other need. It aimed to ensure that SA maintained its safety record of having zero fatal commercial airline accidents in more than 30 years on local soil.
“The lives of our aviation personnel and the users of civil aviation services is paramount, and it is a responsibility the regulator does not take lightly.
“This discipline in ensuring high levels of compliance with civil aviation safety and security is demonstrated by the continuous prestigious performance of SA in international safety and security assessments.”
SA is periodically subjected to independent international audits by bodies such as the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) to assess compliance with the Standards and Recommended Practices of the global airline body, a specialised agency housed within the UN. Sacaa said SA was last audited by ICAO in 2018.
“Continuous improvement is a principle that the regulator will work hard at elevating as it ensures that aviation remains the safest mode of transport in this country,” Sacaa said.
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