The Sunday News
Tinomuda Chakanyuka, Senior Reporter
THE CIVIL Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe yesterday grounded South African Airways in Harare and banned British Airways from landing in Victoria Falls for not having valid foreign operators permit, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded.
Flight SA 025 from Harare to Johannesburg was grounded in Harare yesterday morning, while a British Airways plane had to land in Livingstone, Zambia after the crew was notified of the development while mid-air from South Africa.
South African Airways spokesperson Mr Tlali Tlali confirmed that one of their aircrafts was unable to operate from Zimbabwe.
This comes after the South Africa’s Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA), on Friday evening grounded an Air Zimbabwe plane citing similar reasons. Air Zimbabwe’s 6.55pm flight was not allowed to take off from OR Tambo International Airport to Harare.
Zimbabwean authorities have, however, said the move to ground the two aircrafts was not in retaliation to their South African counterparts’ actions.
Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development Dr Joram Gumbo described the situation as a simple compliance issue which could have been immediately rectified if it had happened during the week. He said normalcy is expected to return on Monday (tomorrow) when the companies are able to renew their permits.
“It’s not retaliation. Other airlines that don’t have valid permits have also been affected. It’s a not a very big issue. It’s just a case of airlines relaxing.
Someone slept on duty. It is a simple matter of renewing the permits. The only challenge is that it is a weekend otherwise this issue could have been rectified immediately. I’m sure by Monday everything would have normalised and the airlines will have renewed their permits,” he said.
CAAZ general manager Mr David Chawota confirmed that the Air Zimbabwe plane that was grounded in South Africa did not also have a valid foreign operators permit.
“Yes, they have been grounded in South Africa. They also don’t have a valid foreign operators permit,” he said.
On the South African Airways and British Airways planes, Mr Chawota said the airlines were aware of what needed to be done to correct the situation.
“It’s a compliance issue. They don’t have valid foreign operators permit. It is a normal operational requirement and the airlines know what steps should be taken to make sure that permits are valid,” he said.
Mr Chawota couldn’t be drawn into commenting on why both parties had all along been allowing the airlines to operate without the said permit.
Reports from Victoria Falls are that British Airways passengers had to be driven to Harry Mwanga Nkumbula International Airport, formerly Livingstone Airport, in Zambia where they boarded the flight.
In Harare, passengers on an SAA flight were ordered off the plane at Harare International Airport yesterday morning. Efforts to get a comment from Air Zimbabwe officials were fruitless by the time of going to print.
Meanwhile, South African Minister of Transport Joe Maswanganyi is to hold an urgent meeting with all aviation entities of the Department of Transport to discuss the grounding of an Air Zimbabwe aircraft at OR Tambo airport on Friday‚ media reports from South Africa said yesterday.
“The outcomes of the meeting shall be communicated to the public at the earliest expediency‚” the transport ministry said in a statement.
