Comair suspension: Airlink to assist British Airways domestic passengers

Embattled aviation group Comair, which suspended operations of its kulula.com and British Airways domestic flights last month, has reached an agreement with fellow airline Airlink to accommodate its passengers holding a British Airways ticket for travel between June 7 and June 12, 2022.

The cash-strapped group on Tuesday confirmed securing the agreement with Airlink.

Read: Comair suspends flights until funding secured

Comair says its British Airways customers who have been affected by the suspension can rebook with Airlink at no additional cost, subject to availability.

The airline operator also confirmed in a statement that UK-based British Airways has arranged for its international customers, who had booked regional or domestic connecting flights with Comair, to be reaccommodated by South African Airways.

It says kulula.com customers who purchased tickets on its sale prior to flights being suspended will be refunded by the end of this week.

“We understand the negative perceptions created by the Kulula ticket sale even though the sale had been triggered a week earlier. Bearing in mind that Comair only receives the money once the flights are flown,” says Comair CEO, Glenn Orsmond.

“We have agreed with our bankers to release the funds back to our customers and we are pleased to advise that the refund process will commence immediately,” he adds.

Read: How not to run an airline (Comair edition)

According to Comair, the abrupt suspension was due to a lack of funding.

“The company’s business rescue practitioners [BRPs] have advised that the process to raise the necessary capital is in progress and that there is reason to believe such funding may be secured,” the group said in a statement issued in May.

“Once received, the airline will be able to recommence operations, but regrettably under these circumstances, the practitioners have no choice but to voluntarily suspend all scheduled flights until the funding is confirmed.”

Orsmond says Comair did everything it could to avoid the suspension and that its BRPs and lenders are working towards procuring funding to recommence with normal flight operations.

Listen to Fifi Peters speaking to Tembinkosi Bonakele of the Competition Commission on its call for no price-gouging on airline tickets: 

Nondumiso Lehutso is a Moneyweb intern.