Suspension ends for British Airways partner in South Africa

Flights are returning to the air for a South African airline that partners with British Airways, days after regulators indefinitely grounded the carrier's planes.

The South African Civil Aviation Authority announced Wednesday it would immediately reinstate the operators’ certificate for Comair, after suspending it last Saturday amid “a spate of occurrences” the agency said posed safety risks.

In its most recent statement Thursday, Comair said it was “making good progress” toward restoring its flight schedule.

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Flights grounded for days

This saga began last weekend when South African regulators announced a 24-hour suspension of Comair’s license. At the time, the SACAA called this a “precautionary” measure following what it said were recent incidents involving Comair flights, including “problems ranging from engine failures, engine malfunction and landing gear malfunctions, amongst others.”

Based in South Africa, Comair serves destinations within South Africa, sub-Saharan Africa and islands in the Indian Ocean. It flies as a partner with British Airways, and operates low-cost carrier Kulula.

Comair’s leadership said it was working to provide documentation to government officials over the weekend, but regulators announced an indefinite suspension of the airlines’ operators’ certificate last Sunday.

According to the airline, Comair serves about 40% of the market in parts of the region, which meant significant disruption to flight schedules.

Related: Returning to South Africa in 2022

Certificate reinstated

More than four days after grounding flights, South African regulators announced that the agency would immediately reinstate Comair’s operators’ certificate.

The agency said this decision came after its "audit" of Comair dating back to March 7, which included "reviewing Comair’s safety management systems and quality control management systems.”

In a statement Wednesday, Comair said “no safety and security findings were made” regarding flight operations or maintenance, and argued that it has an “enviable” track record over its 76 years in operation.

The airline said Thursday it was “making good progress” toward restoring its full flight schedule, and anticipated regional and domestic service would be restored heading into the weekend.

“Our focus is now to get our operations back to normal as quickly as possible,” Comair CEO Glenn Orsmond said.

Passengers affected by suspension

As it restores service after several days with flights grounded, Comair announced a series of measures aimed at helping both its British Airways and Kulula customers affected by the disruption.

During the suspension, Comair said it “did what it could” to help “vulnerable customers and those that urgently needed to travel,” including chartering flights and accommodating customers on other airlines “as far as possible.” But the carrier noted it could not accommodate all passengers affected.

The airline recommends customers booked on British Airways flights operated by Comair contact the airline to rebook (or contact their travel agent).

Kulula customers can receive full credit for the value of their ticket, provided that they rebook within six months for flights within a year of the original reservation.