CIVIL AVIATION AUTHORITY UPLIFTS THE AIR OPERATOR CERTIFICATE OF COMAIR

Johannesburg – The South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) has concluded the assessment and evaluation of Comair’s evidence to close the Level 1 findings raised during the audit which started on 07 March 2022. The evaluation of the evidence was concluded on the evening of 16 March 2022. The impact of this outcome paves the way for the Director of Civil Aviation to uplift the Air Operator Certificate (AOC) of Comair with immediate effect.

The SACAA audited Comair following a spate of occurrences which posed safety risks by Kulula.com and BA Comair airlines. The Regulator sought to confirm Comair’s compliance with applicable Civil Aviation Regulations (CARs). The inspection was also aimed at reviewing Comair’s safety management systems (SMS) and quality control management system (QA) to establish compliance related to the reporting, analysis and follow-up on occurrences, and corrective action plans to prevent recurrence.

This brings to an end a five-day long suspension of the AOC which was imposed by the Regulator from 12 March 2022. The Director of Civil Aviation heralds the commitment shown by the Regulator’s inspectorate team from the first day of the audit leading up to the sleepless nights spent evaluating evidence all in the interest of ensuring aviation safety.

The cooperation and commitment of the Operator during this period signalled the seriousness in which the Operator took this matter and the openness displayed in the days leading up to this day. It is this collaboration that ensures that civil aviation safety remains a top priority in South Africa.

South Africa holds a very high-performance record in terms of the standards of safety and security. According to ICAO, South Africa’s safety index is rated at level +1 which means that based on South Africa’s performance in the areas of operations, support, and air navigation the country is rated above average.

This discipline in ensuring high levels of civil aviation safety and security is demonstrated by the continuous prestigious performance of South Africa in international safety and security assessments. This places South Africa amongst the approximately top 40 countries amongst 193 countries globally. This continuous improvement is a principle which the Regulator will work hard to improve as it ensures that aviation remain the safest mode of transport in this country.