Comair, the British Airways South African franchise, suspends operations

Comair, the British Airways franchise operator in South Africa, has suspended its operations.

Back in 2020, Comair filed for ‘Business Rescue’ which is similar to Chapter 11 in the United States. It managed to raise new money and returned to the skies. It hasn’t been a smooth experience, however, with flights suspended for a few days in March 2022 following safety concerns.

The airline has run out of money again. Flights were suspended on Tuesday, as have all future ticket sales. Sister airline kulula.com has also suspending operations.

Sean Doyle, British Airways CEO, said:

“We’re saddened to hear that Comair Limited, British Airways’ franchise partner which operates flights within southern Africa, has suspended operations.We are working with Comair Limited to rebook and refund customers, including facilitating travel on another carrier where possible.British Airways remains committed to South Africa and continues to operate its schedule between Johannesburg and Cape Town and London.”

If you’ve never flown Comair, it is a fascinating experience.  You are on a BA-branded aircraft (see the photo above) with crew in British Airways uniform, operating to BA service standards, flying from Johannesburg to Cape Town or similar.

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