27.12.2015 - 09:38 UTC
The Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe (CAAZ) has reinstated Zimbabwe flyafrica's Air Operators Certificate (AOC) following a near two-month long suspension sources in the Zimbabwean aviation community have said.
Its paperwork now in order, the LCC is planning to resume commercial operations on Tuesday, December 29 though this is subject to official confirmation.
Zimbabwe flyafrica's AOC was suspended in late October following a falling out between the airline's local shareholder and then Accountable Manager Chakanyuka Karase, and its foreign Mauritius-based partner Flyafrica Ltd. The two subsequently went to court resulting in Flyafrica securing a court injunction against Karase's continued involvement in the airline. Given his exit, it is uncertain as to who the LCC's new local Zimbabwean partner is.
Prior to its suspension of operations, Zimbabwe flyafrica had operated two B737-500s on scheduled passenger flights to Victoria Falls and Bulawayo locally as well as Johannesburg O.R. Tambo, Lusaka, and Lubumbashi regionally.
It is uncertain if sister carrier Namibia flyafrica (Windhoek International) will resume operations given the...
23.12.2015 - 20:52 UTC
Bay Air Aviation (Windhoek Eros) has distanced itself from Namibia flyafrica (Windhoek International) following an ongoing fiasco involving the reimbursement of funds to passengers who had already bought tickets from the grounded budget carrier.
A joint-venture between Bay Air Aviation (also known as Nomad Aviation) and Mauritius-based investment vehicle flyafrica Ltd, Namibia flyafrica was ordered to suspend operations in November after the Namibian Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) ruled its continued use of aircraft leased from Zimbabwe flyafrica (Harare International) violated local aviation laws. Zimbabwe flyafrica has itself been grounded since late October after local shareholder and now former CEO, Chakanyuka Karase, surrendered its Air Operators Certificate (AOC) to the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe (CAAZ) following a shareholders' dispute. A subsequent review of the airline's operations revealed a host of violations of local Zimbabwean aviation laws resulting in Zimbabwe flyafrica's continued suspension of service.
Since then, flyafrica's hotlines have been inundated with calls from angry passengers eager for reimbursements for flights they had already booked.
Then,...
11.11.2015 - 03:55 UTC
Contagion from the Zimbabwe flyafrica (Harare International) fiasco has spread to Namibia where the Namibian Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) has now grounded Namibia flyafrica (Windhoek International) for using ineligible aircraft.
In a statement issued November 5, the DCA said its decision was premised on Namibia flyafrica wet-leasing B737-500s from its Zimbabwean sister carrier despite the latter's Air Operators Certificate (AOC) having been suspended late last month.
"The DCA has now also received official communications from the civil aviation authorities in South Africa and Zimbabwe regarding the operations of FlyAfrica," the DCA said. "In fact, Bay Air Aviation’s partner in Zimbabwe which enabled their Namibian operations have had their Air Operators Certificate suspended by that country’s civil aviation authority. Despite this development FlyAfrica continued, without consulting the DCA beforehand, with flights utilising planes not authorised by the Namibia DCA."
The carrier has since been forced to suspend operations until the DCA has successfully completed a re-validation mission and given it the greenlight to resume commercial services.
flyafrica...
14.09.2015 - 13:00 UTC
Namibia flyafrica (Windhoek International) has resumed flights roughly a week after a Windhoek High Court ordered the nascent LCC to suspend them. In a statement, Namibia flyafrica said flights from Windhoek International to Johannesburg, South Africa had resumed albeit to Lanseria and not Johannesburg O.R. Tambo as done so previously. Lanseria is a privately run airfield located roughly 60km away from OR Tambo.
“We are very happy that we have been able to find a way to save passengers even more money," Clifford Strydom CEO of Namibia flyafrica, said. “We are fully committed to delivering low fares to the travelling public who have paid too much for too long. The change of airport in Johannesburg to Lanseria allows us to further reduce our costs, making our fares over 80% less than our competitors with no disruption to our passengers.”
The LCC is locked in a bitter dispute with rival state-owned carrier Air Namibia (Windhoek International) over the scope and validity of the Air Services Licence (ASL) allocated to...
