SAA may resume flights between Johannesburg and Blantyre, Malawi, early next month.
The airline says flights are likely to resume on Saturday, February 2, after the airline suspended operations to Chileka International Airport on January 18 due to safety concerns.
Findings made by the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) revealed that the airport was not fully compliant with the minimum standards SAA requires to operate in accordance with its licensing conditions.
“We took steps immediately after we suspended operations to Blantyre and dispatched personnel from our head office to augment our staff in Blantyre and to attend to the audit findings to ensure compliance with our licensing conditions,” said Tlali Tlali, SAA spokesperson.
The airline also put together a Corrective Action Plan, which it has submitted to SACAA for consideration. SAA – with the Malawian authorities and relevant stakeholders, such as the Malawian Ministry of Transport and the Blantyre municipality – has implemented the required interventions to return the airport to the expected levels for safe operations, according to an SAA statement.
SAA is now awaiting SACAA’s inspection of the airport, which is expected for Wednesday, January 30, but is confident the regulator will be satisfied.
