Kulula.com, British Airways flights suspended due to safety concerns

In a statement released by the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA), the Air Operator Certificate of Comair (Pty) Ltd, with its subsidiaries Kulula.com and British Airways, has been suspended.

This follows investigations into the recent spate of safety incidents - and concerns. The suspension will last for a  period of 24  hours as is a precautionary measure. Over the next 24-hours, the Comair must demonstrate to SACAA that the risk and safety management systems are effective in managing potential hazards.

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Comair operations experienced occurrences over the past month, with the following, and other, issues:

• engine failures
•  engine malfunction 
• landing gear malfunctions

In the interest of safety, the SACAA visited the Operator to investigate and determine if Comair is in compliance with applicable Civil Aviation Regulations (CARs). 

Kulula.com stated on their website:

"Important notice regarding kulula.com and British Airways (operated by Comair) flight operations for Saturday 12 March
Comair regrets that our flights have been suspended by the CAA for 24 hours. This will affect both British Airways (operated by Comair) as well as kulula.com. Our Executive Team are engaging with the CAA on an urgent basis. All passengers booked for Saturday 12 March 2022 are advised not to travel to the airport unless you are able to make a booking on an alternate carrier. Comair deeply regrets the inconvenience caused and we are doing our utmost to restore our operations as soon as possible. All updates will be posted on our social media channels as they become available."

The inspection was also aimed at reviewing Comair’s quality control management system (QC) and safety management systems (SMS) to establish compliance related to reporting, analysis and follow-up on occurrences, and corrective action plans to prevent recurrence.

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The outcome of the investigations yielded 

• three level 1 findings
• one level 2 finding

A level 1 finding, which poses an immediate risk to customers, must be closed immediately and a level 2 finding must be closed within 7 days.

Failure of the Operator to produce satisfactory evidence to the Regulator, led to the decision to impose a precautionary suspension of the operations in order to give Comair an opportunity to demonstrate that their systems are able to prevent and avert  safety hazards. 

Comair (Pty) Ltd. has until Sunday, 13 March 2022, moring to meet the requirements from the Regulator, failing which the approval will be suspended indefinitely, pending the satisfactory closing of the findings.

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The mandate of the SACAA is to regulate and enforce civil aviation safety and security compliance. This is a responsibility that the Regulator takes seriously and will execute diligently and without hesitation.

Kulula and British Airways flights suspended due to safety concerns by the South African Civil Aviation Authority

Main image attribution: Flickr