WRAP | From groundings to returning to the sky: a hectic week for Comair

It has been a chaotic past few days for Comair, which operates Kulula.com and British Airways flights.

The company has been making headlines after a spate of midair flight emergencies.

Last month, a flight from Lanseria in Johannesburg to Cape Town lost one of its two engines, prompting a pilot to issue a Mayday call before landing safely at OR Tambo International Airport.

Comair has announced its flights are back in the air.

Here’s a timeline of events:

Midair emergencies: March 7

On March 7, Kulula diverted a flight to OR Tambo airport from Lanseria after an “engine-related” problem and passengers were accommodated on British Airways.

Before this, Kulula had a similar issue which led to a flight on the same route being diverted to OR Tambo.

A report issued by the SA Civil Aviation Authority (Sacaa) said the issues were caused by air traffic control initially allowing two aircraft to approach the runway before instructing the smaller aircraft to break off the final approach.

Another Comair flight, British Airways BA6252, was forced to make an emergency landing at King Phalo Airport in East London shortly after it left for Johannesburg. Comair said its landing gear had failed to retract. 

24 hour suspension: March 12

Travellers were shocked when Comair announced that all of its flights had been grounded for 24-hours by the Sacaa.

In a short statement, Comair said its British Airways and Kulula flights were affected by the decision. 

“Our executive team are engaging with the CAA on an urgent basis. Comair believes there is no justification for the suspension,” the company said.

Flights indefinitely suspended: March 13

The next day, Sacaa suspended Comair flights indefinitely, leaving thousands of passengers stranded.

The Sacaa sought to confirm the company's compliance with applicable civil aviation regulations (CARs) and Comair's quality control management and safety after suspension of flights. 

Kulula could not immediately confirm when it would resume flights. 

Union protests at Comair: March 14 

The National Union of Metalworkers SA (Numsa) called for Comair CEO Glenn Orsmond to step down after the Sacaa indefinitely suspended the company's air operator certificate, effectively grounding Kulula.com and British Airways.

Numsa spokesperson Phakamile Hlubi-Majola said the union did not trust Orsmond, saying he was “in the wrong business because he could not guarantee passenger safety”.

Comair flights back in the sky: March 17

The Sacaa said Comair had resumed flights after a five-day suspension. The suspension was lifted after an inspection of Comair flights was concluded. 

Kulula announced its decision to take to the skies on Thursday. 

“Our focus is to get our operations back to normal as quickly as possible and schedules will therefore be restored in a phased manner.”