South African regulator grounds CemAir again

The South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) has grounded regional carrier CemAir for the second time in two months for what it says is the airline’s failure to provide proof of the airworthiness of its fleet. The SACAA suspended CemAir’s Part 121 and 135 air operator's certificates (AOCs) in December 2018 and recommended revoking them completely over what it described as Level One infractions that posed a serious safety risk to the public. CemAir strongly rejected the accusations and succeeded in a Dec. 18 appeal to the country’s High Court in having the suspensions lifted. However, after close of business Jan. 11, the SACAA issued a statement saying it had again suspended CemAir’s AOCs. It said the suspension was “necessitated by the SACAA’s concerns over the systemic failure of the airline’s maintenance controls. In a nutshell, the most recent annual renewal audit revealed CemAir’s inability to prove the continued airworthiness of its fleet.”<br/>