Comair has voluntarily suspended and grounded all its operations due to an immense liquidity crisis.
It is a heartbreaking tale to recount the meteoric ascent, descent and crash of the most well-run airline that had a 40% share of the local aviation market. Comair is an intimate part of our aviation history.
An iconic airline is in deep trouble, due to a combination of factors, which include mismanagement, ill-timed decisions, Covid-19 and a complete lack of all-important aircraft maintenance procedures.
If the airline is financially defunct, the chances of resurrection are extremely remote. Due to the impact brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic, Comair entered into a voluntary business rescue plan on May 5 2020.
Since its inception in 1946, it took pride in the high level of skill among its airline pilots and flight operation personnel.
Its Boeing 737.800 simulator, costing R75m, is the most sophisticated full-flight commercial airline simulator platform in Southern Africa.
According to press reports, Comair purchased an Airbus A320 flight simulator. This is puzzling as its entire fleet consists of Boeing 737 aircraft.
The purchase of Boeing 737-Max aircraft added to Comair’s woes. Management should have considered leasing aircraft as an alternative to purchasing planes at a time when liquidity became a life and death struggle.
Inadequate aircraft maintenance became a cardinal issue that led to the grounding of Comair by the Civil Aviation Authority; there were numerous level 1 and level 2 findings. Its aircraft fleet encountered occurrences ranging from engine failures to engine and landing gear indicator malfunctions, among other issues.
During the Omicron-related travel ban, Comair lost R100m. This was financially distressing to a company with an excellent track record of recording profits for 73 consecutive years.
SAA was bailed out by taxpayers, costing them R38.4bn, while Comair created jobs and helped the aviation industry without outside assistance.
Unless there is financial intervention, one of the most venerable names in commercial aviation will soon cease to exist. It will mark the end of 76 years of aviation for the iconic airline, and the ramifications will be felt across the entire aviation landscape.
Farouk Araie, Benoni
Iconic Comair’s future up in the air
Airline is financially defunct
Comair has voluntarily suspended and grounded all its operations due to an immense liquidity crisis.
It is a heartbreaking tale to recount the meteoric ascent, descent and crash of the most well-run airline that had a 40% share of the local aviation market. Comair is an intimate part of our aviation history.
An iconic airline is in deep trouble, due to a combination of factors, which include mismanagement, ill-timed decisions, Covid-19 and a complete lack of all-important aircraft maintenance procedures.
If the airline is financially defunct, the chances of resurrection are extremely remote. Due to the impact brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic, Comair entered into a voluntary business rescue plan on May 5 2020.
Since its inception in 1946, it took pride in the high level of skill among its airline pilots and flight operation personnel.
Its Boeing 737.800 simulator, costing R75m, is the most sophisticated full-flight commercial airline simulator platform in Southern Africa.
According to press reports, Comair purchased an Airbus A320 flight simulator. This is puzzling as its entire fleet consists of Boeing 737 aircraft.
The purchase of Boeing 737-Max aircraft added to Comair’s woes. Management should have considered leasing aircraft as an alternative to purchasing planes at a time when liquidity became a life and death struggle.
Inadequate aircraft maintenance became a cardinal issue that led to the grounding of Comair by the Civil Aviation Authority; there were numerous level 1 and level 2 findings. Its aircraft fleet encountered occurrences ranging from engine failures to engine and landing gear indicator malfunctions, among other issues.
During the Omicron-related travel ban, Comair lost R100m. This was financially distressing to a company with an excellent track record of recording profits for 73 consecutive years.
SAA was bailed out by taxpayers, costing them R38.4bn, while Comair created jobs and helped the aviation industry without outside assistance.
Unless there is financial intervention, one of the most venerable names in commercial aviation will soon cease to exist. It will mark the end of 76 years of aviation for the iconic airline, and the ramifications will be felt across the entire aviation landscape.
Farouk Araie, Benoni
Airlines won't hike ticket prices after Comair's grounding
Airlines promise not to raise prices as Comair grounding reduces supply
TIMELINE: The rise and fall of Comair
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