British Airways and Kulula grounded due to insufficient funding

LATE Tuesday evening, all Comair flights were halted.

The company’s business-rescue practitioners (BRPs) have stated that the process of raising the required money is underway and that there is reason to think that such funding will be obtained. The airline will be able to resume operations once the funds are received, but in the meantime, the practitioners are forced to voluntarily cease all scheduled flights until the payment is confirmed.

Ticket sales on British Airways and kulula.com (run by Comair) have likewise been halted with immediate effect.

Comair CEO Glenn Orsmond said, “We deeply regret the inconvenience this suspension will cause our customers. We did everything we could to avoid it.“

ALSO READ: Passengers stranded, irate over flight suspensions

“Comair, the BRPs and the lenders are working all-out to get the funding in place so that we can resume our normal flight schedule as soon as possible,” said Orsmond.

Although Comair has a large portion of South Africa’s domestic aviation market, it is not the first time their operations have been suspended.

In March, the SA Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) placed a five-day precautionary suspension on Comair’s Aircraft Operating Certificate (AOC) after discovering problems with the landing gear indication on one of the flights.

“Comair is inherently a viable business. We have two of the best airline brands in the country.”

“We are on track to carry over four-million passengers this year and generate R5.3b in revenue. We have excellent staff, a modern fleet, good sales and distribution channels, and low operating costs, which is why we believe the funding will be secured,” Orsmond concluded.

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