AS TNW went to print on the
issue dated May 8, CemAir
won its appeal against the
South African Civil Aviation
Authority (SACAA) for the
grounding of its fleet and
suspension and subsequent
cancellation of its operating
certificates.
All the notices issued by
SACAA to ground CemAir have
been overturned by the Civil
Aviation Appeal Committee
(CAAC), but CemAir is still not
flying.
Speaking to TNW, CemAir
ceo, Miles van der Molen
says: “Of course we are
pleased at the Tribunal for
finding completely in our
favour. We feel exonerated.”
The CAAC judgement says:
“…the CAAC finds that it
cannot rule that the annual
renewal audit for the year
ending January 2019 was duly
finalised and concluded
favourably…”. It was this
audit that led to CemAir’s
suspension on January 11.
In response to the CAAC’s
decision, SACAA said in a
statement: “The implication of
the Tribunal’s decision is that
CemAir is still not permitted to
operate as an airline or utilise
any of its aircraft commercially,
pending the renewal audit
process being finalised, and
the operator being issued
with the relevant operating
certificates or approvals.”
Since the release of the
CAAC’s findings, SACAA’s
Aviation Safety Operations
division has contacted CemAir
detailing the preliminary
requirements for the renewal
audit, which will entail the AOC
renewal audit and inspections
around the certification of
airworthiness of CemAir’s
fleet.
“The SACAA is very keen
to see the airline back in the
air and as soon as practically
possible, and hence the
necessary arrangements have
been made to ensure that
its inspectorate can instantly
start auditing the airline,”
said SACAA.
More admin delays
Miles says that during the
course of the grounding and
appeals process, CemAir’s
Air Operator Certificate (AOC)
reached its natural expiry. The
normal process that must
be undertaken to have the
certificate renewed is also
adding to the delay of the
relaunch.
