South African Express (Johannesburg O.R. Tambo) has been given the greenlight by the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) to resume operations a day after its AOC was suspended.

On Saturday, April 30, SACAA grounded SA Express after inspections carried out earlier in the month showed the carrier had failed to adequately address issues concerning its safety monitoring systems.

However, the regulator said in a statement issued late on Sunday, May 1, that following the suspension, the government-backed carrier had now supplied it with a suitable, revised corrective action plan thus warranting the reinstatement of its AOC.

"Following several and intensive engagements between the airline and the Regulator; SA Express provided the SACAA with a revised corrective action plan, which upon perusal and consideration was found to address the major concerns that were raised by the Regulator," it said.

SACAA went on to warn SA Express that despite the green light, it would continue to monitor and oversee the implementation of the corrective plan while intensifying its oversight of the airline’s entire operations.

In a statement, Inati Ntshanga, CEO of SA Express, blamed the debacle on 'discrepancies in the submission of procedural paperwork and submission processes between SA Express and SACAA' that he said, 'did not correspond'.

"Following extensive consultations and revised documentation as well as submission procedures, our operating license has been reinstated and we will resume our normal operating schedule by 19h00L this evening [Sunday, May 1]. We assure the general public that this matter has been substantially addressed and will never occur again,” he said.