Here's why Kulula and British Airways flights have been grounded.
Passengers queue at the Kulula and British Airways counter at Cape Town International Airport after flights were grounded for safety reasons on March 12 2022.The SA Civil Aviation Authority on Saturday said it had grounded Comair’s Kulula and British Airways flights after a series of midair emergencies in the last few weeks.
Comair announced earlier that none of its flights would operate for the next 24 hours after they were suspended by the aviation regulator — a move which it said was “unjustified”. The regulator, however, said Comair has to prove its planes are safe or risk being grounded indefinitely. “This decision was reached after an investigation into the recent spate of safety incidents at the operator,” it said in a statement.
“This is a precautionary suspension for a period of 24 hours, within which the operator must demonstrate to the regulator that the risk and safety management systems are effective in managing potential hazards.”shortly after taking off from Lanseria in Johannesburg for a flight to Cape Town, one of the two engines failed on a Kulula Boeing 737-800.