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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