CemAir operations and fleet grounding

“I wish to thank our customers for their patience and their loyalty.  I am sorry that we have let you down during this period, but we look forward to flying you again very soon,” said Miles van der Molen, CEO of CemAir.

“The safety and well-being of our customers, our people and our aircraft is our top priority.  For this reason, we are working closely with the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) to address its concerns”, he said.

“As the first step, last Friday, we initiated a thorough and comprehensive assessment and verification of internal processes and procedures at our aircraft maintenance division.  The scope of this exercise includes personnel training, licencing and powers of authority to release aircraft and components into service.  In parallel, we have provided the SACAA with full and comprehensive documentation packs relating to the history and status of each of our 12 South African-registered aircraft.  We have also hosted and cooperated fully with the SACAA’s additional audit inspections.

van der Molen added: “While we would like to expedite the restoration of our scheduled services, we must ensure there are no questions over the integrity of CemAir’s safety.  For this reason we have requested the SACAA’s feedback, guidance and recommendations arising from its inspections, together with a defined timeline, against which it will verify our compliance and lift the restrictions currently in place.”