TAAG airline brouhaha: Minister Mbalula wrong about ‘illegal’ flight

Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula has got it wrong again… but this time, the incompetence of his department might turn into a diplomatic fracas between South Africa and Angola.

In a statement yesterday, Mbalula accused TAAG Angola Airlines of illegally flying an aircraft into SA without proper documentation, other than a filed flight plan.

To TAAG or not to TAAG

However, the aircraft was not operated by TAAG, nor was the Angolan government-owned airline informed by SA authorities about the allegedly illegal flight.

The flight’s missing paperwork, called a foreign operator’s permit (FOP), is an approval from local authorities for a foreign airline to operate an aircraft or fleet of aircraft into its airspace.

The aircraft and crew were allegedly grounded and detained on the runway at Cape Town International Airport.

The aircraft was searched by police and it departed just before 7am yesterday.

The department of transport was unable to confirm whether the chair of the International Air Service Council, the only person with the authority to allow the aircraft to depart, had signed off on the FOP documentation.

Trip not signed off

In his statement, Mbalula said: “I have taken note of the CAA [Civil Aviation Authority] recommendation that the Angolan authorities be formally notified of the infringement by the department, and the grounding of the aircraft should remain in place until the matter of the FOP is resolved.

“The chair of the International Air Service Council will consider the matter in line with her legal mandate.”

Sources close to the council suggested the chair did not sign off on the trip.

Not a TAAG aircraft

The Citizen contacted Air Traffic and Navigation Services (ATNS), which refused to say anything other than that it was aware of the incident.

ATNS and the CAA referred us to the department of transport.

In an irate statement, TAAG said the aircraft was not theirs, nor did they operate a charter into Cape Town.

The airline distanced itself from the incident.

Mbalula blames Angola airline

Mbalula’s statement said the CAA had done a thorough investigation into the matter and his department had received an apology from the Angolan embassy over the matter.

It also pointed a finger directly at the Angolan national carrier:

“The aircraft in question was chartered by an Angolan airline, TAAG, which operates scheduled flights between Luanda and Johannesburg.

“TAAG Angola Airlines has a foreign operator’s permit which lists all the aircraft they use in the undertaking of their scheduled flights.

“However, due to the grounding of some of their fleet due to maintenance, they chartered an aircraft not listed in their FOP to collect workers of the oil company, Chevron.

“The International Air Services Act of 1993 requires that a holder of an FOP must apply to amend their permit if there is a change in the category or kind of aircraft, amongst others. This was not done in this case.”

Heli Malongo aircraft

TAAG head of communication Luís Catuzeco José said: “TAAG Angola Airlines denies any association with the aircraft…

“Please be aware that the aircraft does not belong to TAAG’s fleet, it was not contracted for any charter flight, and neither registered in TAAG’s AOC [Air Operator Certificate] within ANAC [Angola National Civil Aviation Authority].

“Angola and international civil aviation ecosystems have strict procedures and regulations with which all stakeholders comply.”

The aircraft belongs to another Angolan airline, Heli Malongo. This was established after a few minutes of desktop research.

The Citizen approached ATNS to verify that and was again referred to the department of transport.

The CAA’s spokesperson’s phones were not available despite repeated attempts to get through.

When the spokesperson surfaced on WhatsApp later, he only shared the department’s original statement and did not answer a WhatsApp question about the aircraft type.