Plettenberg Bay Airport has been shut down by the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA).

In a letter to the Bitou municipality yesterday, Joseph Mtsweni of the authority’s enforcement specialist legal and compliance division informed the municipality, the airport’s licence holder, that Plettenberg Bay Airport’s Aerodrome Operating Licence had been suspended with immediate effect.

Key to the suspension is the runway, which poses a ‘significant safety risk’.

He added that the municipality had the right to appeal against the decision, to the director of Civil Aviation, if it felt aggrieved.

The Bitou council received the letter at 08:00, shortly before a council meeting to discuss the airport issue.

The council passed a motion, including to authorise a team consisting of municipal directors, to negotiate terms of a new agreement to find the best method to repair the runway – for compliance with SACAA instructions – and also enter into a new agreement once items have been negotiated (with the operators of the airport, Garden Route AERO).