South African Airways challenge to BA/Comair franchise falters

SOUTH AFRICAN Airways' (SAA) challenge to the BA/ Comair franchise agreement which was signed in June and scheduled to come into effect in October, looks as if it is set to fail.

Jappi Schmitt, Commissioner for Civil Aviation at the Transport Ministry in Pretoria, says: "We have been approached verbally by SAA to interfere, but we don't think we have a mandate to do so.There is no infringement of the rights or purposes of the licence holder as such, and the airline we were controlling before will still be the airline we are controlling and regulating afterwards."

Despite the setback, Schmitt says that he understands that SAA wants to take the issue further, possibly through some form of court application.

SAA declines to comment.

Source: Flight International