Kulula flights still cancelled as Comair suspension continues

Kulula flights remain suspended as talks between the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) and Comair continue.

Comair, which operates the low-cost carrier Kulula.com and local British Airways under a licence, is working to get back the airlines back to the sky after flights were grounded.

The SACAA suspended Comair’s Air Operator Certificate (AOC)  on Saturday over safety-related issues, and was initially meant to last for 24 hours.

But on Sunday, Kulula and British Airways flights were indefinitely suspended.

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All flights, Kulula said, have been cancelled for Wednesday “despite our very best efforts”

“Despite our very best efforts, the CAA suspension remains in place for Comair. We regret that flights on 16 March have thus been cancelled and apologise for the inconvenience,” the airline said in a tweet.

Flights will resume once Comair addresses all the findings as required by the SACAA.

“We continue to engage with the CAA to have the suspension lifted.”

Neither Kulula nor British Airways have flown since lunchtime on Saturday.

Numsa protest

The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa), which represents a large group of Comair employees, has since called for the removal of the operator’s CEO, Glenn Orsmond.

Numsa protested outside Comair’s offices on Tuesday, handing over a memorandum to Orsmond.

The memorandum addressed the amount of pressure the workers are subjected to, and having to do work that isn’t assigned to them, among other things.

The union has demanded for Orsmond to resign or to be removed by the board, and also for Comair to stop cutting worker’s salaries.

ALSO READ: FlySafair grilled for price gouging in the wake of Comair grounding

After receiving the memorandum, Orsmond indicated that planes will be back in the air soon, Power987 reported.

“We are all in this thing together. Right now the absolute most important thing is that we need to be back in the skies. We need to be back in the skies to protect our jobs,” he said.

“We are all on the same side here. We value our people and thank you for caring and we care.”

Orsmond further told the crowd that getting rid of him was not the ideal solution.

The SACAA wants Comair to confirm its compliance with applicable Civil Aviation Regulations (CARs).

Investigation

On Saturday, SACAA said that it took a drastic stance to suspend Comair’s operational licence “following an investigation into the recent spate of safety incidents at the operator”.

The outcome of its investigations yielded three level 1 findings, and one level 2 finding.

A level 1 finding meant an immediate risk must be closed immediately to the SACCA, and a level 2 finding must be closed within seven days.

READ MORE: Anger over Comair grounding as thousands stranded

Comair has faced a series of technical problems in the past month which – according to the SACAA – ranged from engine failures, engine malfunction and landing gear malfunctions, amongst others.

This is the third time since 2007 the operator has been grounded due to safety concerns.

The company is also currently under business rescue.

According to Moneyweb, Comair will require “further funding” in order “to continue with its operations on a sustainable basis”, which was revealed in a business rescue status report.

The report was published at the end of January.

It will cost estimated R700 million for Comair to restarts, according to the business rescue plan.