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Cape Town - While it is unfortunate that the suspension of SA Express (SAX) has left many passengers stranded, one must acknowledge that the "safety-first" approach of the SA Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) has made it one of the best performing institutions in South Africa, Tabassum Qadir and Javed Malik, co-chairs of suspended low-cost airline Skywise, said on Sunday.
On Saturday April 30, SACAA grounded SAX with immediate effect, after it submitted unsatisfactory corrective measures after the airline failed two safety audits by the regulator.
In their view, there has been lot of volatility recently in the SA airline industry, with the highly exposed nature of the airline industry making it vulnerable to reputation damage.
"Aviation administration is much bigger and complex than airline operations. Aviation errors and omissions - deliberate or not - can cost lives," they said in a statement.
"South Africa's safety track record of zero fatal aircraft accidents in the scheduled commercial sector on South African soil is due to the SACAA's performance in various safety and financial audits."
Qadir and Malik said the world looks up to SA for guidance as pioneers in aviation administration with regards to compliance and the level of effective implementation of security and safety standards.
