Comair grounding: Here's why other airlines won't be able to plug the gap any time soon
Comair, which operates Kulula and British Airways in South Africa, has grounded its flights amid a cash crunch, cutting 40% of the country's domestic seat capacity.
Comair accounts for roughly 40% of South Africa's domestic seat capacity. Its sudden grounding has left passengers scrambling for other flights, echoing a similar capacity crunch experienced earlier this year when the company halted flights due to safety and security risks flagged by the South African Civil Aviation Authority .
Both the need for additional aircraft and crew presents a unique challenge for airlines looking to expand their offerings amid Comair's sudden suspension. It's not a simple task to bring more aircraft into the sky, especially for carriers operating on a tight budget, made even worse by the pandemic-induced travel lull.
Factoring in the upcoming public holiday – Youth Day, which falls on a Thursday – and the June-July school holidays, the airline capacity issue is unlikely to be resolved in the next few months. South African Airways , which is also in a precarious financial position, said it, too, would increase its capacity. This, despite the airline having trimmed its fleet by more than 80% and its pilot staff by almost 70% since"Having emerged from business rescue ourselves, we empathise with Comair and understand the difficulties caused by Covid and high fuel prices," said SAA's Interim Chairperson and Chief Executive, John Lamola.
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