Skywise under scrutiny

SKYWISE has been called to
appear before the Air Services
Licensing Council (ASLC) on
December 9 to prove that the airline
still has the necessary funds to
operate.
Andries Ntjane, deputy director
of licensing and permits for the
Department of Transport, told TNW
the probe came after several flights
were grounded in October as a
result of a delay in payments to the
Air Traffic Navigation Services (ATNS)
and Acsa (see TNW October 21).
The ASLC had requested Skywise
to submit a report to prove that
“everything is in order” with the
airline, Andries said. “This is a
normal precaution,” he said, to
ensure that the South African
consumer was protected.
Spokesperson for Skywise, Martin
Chemhere, said the airline would be
meeting with the ASLC to discuss
“recent and now resolved” issues.
The ASLC, which is part of the
Department of Transport, is the
regulator mandated to license and
control domestic air services in
terms of the Air Services Licensing
Act. If an airline fails to comply with
its licence conditions, the council
has the authority to suspend the
licence for up to two years or
cancel it.
Meanwhile, travellers have vented
their frustration on hellopeter.com
and on social media regarding the
cancellation of flights, following
Skywise’s reduction of services
between Johannesburg and Cape
Town from eight to six a week.
Passengers booked on the cancelled
flights have complained that they
have not received refunds and that
the airline has not responded to
queries by phone or email. Martin
says Skywise is in the process of
clearing all outstanding refunds. He
urged those who have not yet been
refunded to be patien