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Travelers wishing to book flights on Comair can do so again via kulula.com, starting Monday (today).
The airline plans to resume operations on December 1. This follows its business bailout departure on May 5, after being forced to shut down during the harsh Covid-19 lockdown in late March.
Comair’s return to flight operations comes after its creditors and shareholders voted to adopt its corporate rescue plan on September 18. This move injected 500 million rand into the group, but will also see it eventually delisted from JSE.
The local airline sector, along with the entire tourism industry, was particularly affected by the blockade, which at its height exposed interprovincial and international travel.
Since then, the lockdown has been eased, allowing interprovincial travel, but international travel from key South African tourist markets such as the United States, the United Kingdom and Germany is still prohibited.
Despite the difficulties the industry and Comair have faced, Comair Rescue Consortium CEO and representative Glenn Orsmond is optimistic about their prospects.
“We are excited to return to the skies and with the re-establishment of competition in the domestic market, the flying public can once again expect to achieve low airfares. We are proud to continue our Kulula heritage of offering affordable airfare after introducing low cost flights to South Africa almost 20 years ago. ”
The first phase of its reintroduction will see the airline increase its kulula flights to full operation over the next few months. British Airways domestic and regional flights will reopen soon, as will kulula’s flights from Lanseria.
Orsmond says the airline will initially operate a fleet of 15 aircraft on both airline brands, then gradually increase this number as the rest of the fleet returns to service in the coming months.
He said customers who booked tickets before it was placed on commercial rescue will be able to use the value of their tickets through the Comair Travel Bank for future travel on Comair beginning in mid-January.
