PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS - The South African Civil Aviation Authority (Sacaa) inspection of the Plettenberg Bay Airport was concluded on Friday 29 October, giving hope that commercial flights may soon resume.
The airport was downgraded by the Sacaa earlier this year, resulting in the suspension of all commercial flights.
Airline operator CemAir, which has been offering flights between Plettenberg Bay and major city centres for the past seven years, had to suspend all of its flights into the town in August.
The suspension resulted from the downgrading of Plettenberg Bay Airport to below the minimum category required for commercial flights to operate into the airport.
The reason for the suspension was the ongoing failure of the airport to address outstanding issues from Sacaa inspections, some several years old.
Since the downgrade, CemAir and the Bitou Municipality have worked together to restore the airport's former status.
The two parties said they entered into a binding agreement to restore the Plettenberg Bay Airport licence and return CemAir's scheduled airline flights to the airport. In terms of the agreement, CemAir would engage with the Sacaa to, jointly with the Bitou Municipality, rectify all identified non-conformances.
As the owner of the airport, the municipality vowed to provide its full cooperation and support.
The airport announced that final documentation would be submitted this week and would "pave the way for the airport category to be restored".
CemAir expects to return to Plettenberg Bay from 12 November.
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