Airlink suspends Mthatha route amid safety concerns

Domestic airliner Airlink has temporarily suspended its Johannesburg to Mthatha route due to safety concerns.

The Civil Aviation Authority downgraded the airport from a level 4 to 3, which means only a particular size of aircraft will be allowed to board and take off from the airport.

“We look at whether the facilities around the airport is it in a working condition. They could not meet our regulations in terms of the fire and rescue facilities,” says SACAA’s Phindiwe Gwebu.

In a statement, Airlink apologised for the inconvenienced cause and vowed that the “safety and well-being of customers our top priority”.

“Airlink will work closely with the Mthatha airport management to emplace a short term interim solution in the interests of delivering continued services to our customers, such as the deployment of smaller aircraft,” says the airliner’s CEO Rodger Foster.