SA Express Approved To Resume Flying

July 26, 2018

The South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) has approved regional airline SA Express to restart flying after a two month hiatus.

State owned South African Express had its air operator and maintenance certificates cancelled in May after a SACAA audit revealed “severe cases of non-compliance that posed serious safety risks.”

SA Express was required to recertificate for both air operator and maintenance functions before it was allowed to resume operations. Aircraft Maintenance Organisation approval was granted in May, and an Air Operator Certificate issued this week.

In addition to the air operator and maintenance approvals, the airline received Certificates of Airworthiness for two of its aircraft.

The approvals allow the airline to reinstate scheduled commercial operations, but only with two aircraft out of its fleet of twenty-one, SACAA said.

“A key message to all operators and aviation personnel is that financial sustainability must always be carefully balanced with the need to uphold, at all times, acceptable levels of aviation safety and security,” aviation authority director Poppy Khoza said.

“If the scale is heavily tilted towards one end, the air transport network as we all know it today, will cease to exist.”

(Airwise)