A number of South Coasters were shocked to learn that Margate Airport has one fire truck which led to the downgrading of the airport from CAT 4 to CAT 2, after the truck broke down recently.
It broke down on July 31 and the breakdown meant that the airport could not provide the required aerodrome rescue and fire fighting services as required by Civil Aviation regulations, said Ray Nkonyeni Municipal spokesperson, Simon April.
April said the airport had to be temporarily downgraded while repairs to the fire truck were being carried out.
“This then meant that CemAir had to redirect or divert flights to King Shaka International Airport until the challenge of the fire truck was sorted,” said April.
In a statement, CemAir said it was informed by the airport manager on August 5 that the required repairs to the fire engine had been carried out.
“We are pleased to advise that from August 7, normal services resumed from Johannesburg to Margate. 2023 marks the 10 year anniversary of our popular service between Johannesburg and Margate. We apologise to all our customers for the inconvenience caused by the temporary downgrade,” read the statement.
April said it is with great relief to announce that the challenges that led to the temporary downgrade of Margate Airport have been resolved.
“This was then communicated to Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and CAT 4 status has been retained. Our airline, CemAir has been informed, and things are now back to normal,” said April.
Reacting to the temporary downgrade, local Laurence Erasmus said: “Why was the state of the fire engine allowed to deteriorate to the point where the airport’s capabilities are impaired?”
Grace Dale said: “I can’t beleive we only have one fire engine on the coast, no wonder the South Coast is going backward, what a shame.”
Also, Curtis Stoddart said: “As long as it is all resolved. Just a suggestion – a neighbouring or local fire service can at a small cost provide coverage for the single CemAir schedule by providing their fire services. This way it is maintained at CAT 4 for the schedule until the fire truck is repaired.”
Like the South Coast Fever’s Facebook page
