Comair sent shockwaves across the aviation industry on Tuesday evening when the carrier announced that domestic British Airways and Kulula.com flights have been grounded with immediate effect, until further notice.
Why are British Airways, Kulula flights cancelled?
The announcement comes at a dark hour in the carrier’s attempt to resume business rescue operations. In March 2022, chaos erupted when the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) grounded Comair flights after an inspection found immediate risks to safety on its fleet.
Months later, the carrier, which operates domestic British Airways and Kulula.com flights in Southern Africa, released a statement, confirming its decision to suspend all operations indefinitely, “pending successfully securing additional funding.”
“The company’s business rescue practitioners (BRPs) have advised that the process to raise the necessary capital is in progress and that there is reason to believe such funding may be secured. Once received, the airline will be able to recommence operations, but regrettably under these circumstances, the practitioners have no choice but to voluntarily suspend all scheduled flights until the funding is confirmed,” the statement read.
With immediate effect, the sale of tickets was also suspended, shortly after the statement was released on Tuesday evening.
“We deeply regret the inconvenience this suspension will cause our customers. We did everything we could to avoid it. Comair, the BRPs and the lenders are working all out to get the funding in place so that we can resume our normal flight schedule as soon as possible,” Comair CEO Glenn Orsmond wrote.
While no information has been revealed on the scope of the halt of services, Orsmond remains optimistic, highlighting that, in the midst of adversity, “Comair is [still] inherently a viable business.”
We have the two of the best airline brands in the country. We are on track to carry over 4 million passengers this year and generate R5.3 billion in revenue. We have excellent staff, a modern fleet, good sales and distribution channels and low operating costs, which is why we believe the funding will be secured,” he added.
Here’s what you can do with your ticket
In light of the Comair grounding, passengers with active British Airways and Kulula.com flight tickets have a number of options available.
British Airways
- Change flight dates: You can reschedule the flight to a later date (no later than 30 September 2022) but may be subjected to additional charges.
- Change destination and flight dates: You can change dates and destinations at no additional cost on journeys completed on or before 30 September 2022. Flight tickets will be converted into vouchers.
- Cancel flights: Value of ticket will be converted into a voucher valid until 30 September 2023. The ticket value can also be transferred into points on Avios Reward Flight Saver, Reward Flight, Companion or Gold Upgrade Voucher.
Kulula.com
- Refunds: Ticket value can be converted into Travel Bank credit for use at a later date by the ticketholder or someone else. Alternatively, passengers can request a full cash refund by mailing this address.