MANY commuters planning a weekend break to the South Coast or Johannesburg were left not-so-high and dry last Friday when it was announced that operations at CemAir, had been temporarily suspended.

All of the carrier’s 12 aircraft were affected.

CemAir has confirmed that the suspension was due to a documentation issue identified by the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) in the annual audit of the CemAir aircraft maintenance organisation.

The suspension came into effect at 6am on February 2. The withdrawal of the Certificate of Airworthiness privileges was ‘precautionary and temporary’.

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A call to the carrier’s call centre today (Monday) confirmed that no CemAir planes had landed or taken off from Margate Airport since last Friday. The airline could not confirm when operations would return  to normal.

In a statement, the airline said further announcements will be made as information becomes available. In the interim the airline is making alternate arrangements for passengers where possible.

“We are working closely with other carriers to accommodate our passengers with minimum inconvenience. Alternately all passengers can apply for a full refund,” read the statement.

The airline said it remained committed to serving its passengers and regretted the inconvenience caused by the interruption of service.

Last Friday, a passenger due to fly from Margate to Johannesburg and on to England was originally told her CemAir flight had been delayed, but was then told it had been cancelled.

She was forced to take a shuttle to King Shaka International Airport, but when she arrived at OR Tambo International Airport, she had missed her flight to the UK.

She managed to re-book the flight, but at an additional cost.

According to SACAA the decision to withdraw CoA privileges follows the discovery by SACAA inspectors that some of the aircraft serviced at CemAir’s Aircraft Maintenance Organisation were released back to service or cleared as airworthy by unqualified personnel.

A statement issued by SACAA read, “This practice poses an imminent danger for crew members, passengers, and the public at large, and has a direct impact on aviation safety, since the airworthiness status of the aircraft concerned cannot be confirmed and/or is questionable.

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“The operator is required to submit proof of compliance before the expiry of the prescribed 24 hours or to make a representation and state reasons as to why the relevant aircraft should not be grounded in line with the prescripts outlined in the Civil Aviation Act, 2009 (Act No. 13 of 2009).

“Thus far, the (SACAA) has received full cooperation from CemAir and will continue to provide any assistance possible to the operator, and within the Regulator’s mandate, in order to ensure that the matter is resolved as soon as possible.”

The airline began operating from Margate Airport in November 2013.

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