SA Airlink free to fly

Johannesburg - SA Airlink will not be grounded, the transport department said on Monday.

The airline was however given until next Monday to make sure its maintenance programme met required safety standards, spokesperson Thami Ngidi said in a statement.

"Airlink can continue operations, however, this is subject to the resolution of a few immediate concerns, including the submission of a comprehensive corrective action plan as called for by the Civil Aviation Regulations."

An audit by the Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) made three observations and recommendations about Airlink's flight operations and 12 findings on Airlink's maintenance programme. The SACAA would not make its report public, Ngidi said.

The SACCA presented Transport Minister Sibusiso Ndebele with its findings on Friday and discussed them with Airlink's management.

The authority's inspectors would be available during the next week to evaluate Airlink's corrective actions on the spot.

The decision not to ground the airline followed three accidents involving Airlink in as many months. In the most recent accident on Tuesday, a flight carrying 30 passengers skidded off the runway at George Airport and landed on a road near the N2 freeway. Another of the accidents claimed the life of pilot Alistair Freeman.

Following the crashes Ndebele instructed the SACAA to compile a report on the airline's operational and maintenance health.

Ndebele commended the SACAA for its swift action.

"It is our responsibility to ensure that we do not compromise safety in all modes of transport... We remain uncompromising in safeguarding the aviation and maritime sectors in our country, which have kept world class standards of safety," he said.

- Sapa