Airline SA Express has been called to a crisis meeting by the Eastern Cape department of transport to explain why their flights fail to land on time at the government-run Mthatha Airport.
The meeting comes after a flight was turned back from the airport for attempting to land 10 minutes after the airport’s closing time at 6pm on December 20.
Flight 1447, with 50 passengers on board including three infants, had to fly back to Johannesburg where the airline had to pay for passengers to spend the night at a hotel.
New information has emerged that the flight was meant to have picked up 20 passengers in Mthatha and fly them to Johannesburg.
SA Express spokesperson, Mpho Majatladi, said the waiting Mthatha passengers had been booked into the Savoy Hotel.
Provincial transport spokesperson, Unathi Binqose, said Mthatha Airport’s operating licence stipulated that it operated between 6am and 6pm.
Though he could not explain why this was, readers responding to Dispatch reports said planes could not land in the dark because the airport’s runway lights were not working.
However, Binqose could not confirm this.
Majatladi said: “I would not call it a crisis meeting but I can confirm we have received an invitation to the meeting.
“A date will be announced at a later stage as most of the senior managers are on holiday.”
The news of the flight being turned away sparked debate on social media.
Life Health Care group hospital manager Thabo Mosheledi said he was one of more than 20 passengers on the flight.
“The problem here is politics and power. We were told that the fire engine staff refuse to work overtime because they are not paid for it.
“Inasmuch as I understand that overtime is costly for businesses, however the thought of inconveniencing so many people because there’s a conflict between the airline and the airport management is sickening.
“Passengers were the victims in this case. SA Express need to sort themselves out; this is not the first time.
“The other thing — running of this airport should be outsourced to Acsa, period.”
The dilemma comes only a month after SA Express introduced new routes for Mthatha Airport.
SA Express CEO Siza Mzimela announced in October that there would be additional routes from Cape Town to East London, East London to Mthatha and Mthatha to Cape Town.
Binqose said: “The operating times of the Mthatha Airport are known to the airlines that use the airport and they agreed to abide by them.
“The Mthatha Airport management and staff, however, have been forced to contravene the terms of the operating licence on a few occasions to accommodate repeated late landings.”
“These contraventions have further implications such as working overtime for staff, some of whom are in the employ of external service providers such as cleaning and air traffic services, among others.”
Binqose said time was of paramount importance in the aviation business and the meeting with SA Express and other social partners at Mthatha Airport was aimed at trying to fix the problems.
“SA Express is providing a valuable service at the airport and its importance can never be downplayed.
“But there is a pressing need to tighten the issue of time management for a smoother running of the airport, and providing a reliable air service to the people of Mthatha and the eastern side of Eastern Cape.”
In 2017, popular Mthatha musical event Camouflage Camo Night took a chaotic turn after top musicians pulled out of the event when a chartered private jet failed to land at Mthatha Airport.
LIE Entertainment’s Isiphile Benya, who had organised the event, told the Dispatch the event had flopped when a private jet company refused to land at Mthatha Airport because the runway lights were not working.
After an announcement was made that Babes Wodumo, Distruction Boyz, Nasty C and Riky Rick were on the jet, Benya said angry revellers rioted and caused damage of more than R500,000.
They destroyed equipment and the venue.
Benya said he had to pay R400,000 in lawsuits after revellers and suppliers sued him.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.