AFTER resuming flights in
November following the
renewal of its Air Operator
Certificate, CemAir is back in
the BSP with its schedules
reflecting in the GDS under
code 5Z (following a short stint
with Hahn Air).
Progress regarding payment
of the refunds for the 2018
grounding of the airline by
the SA Civil Aviation Authority
remains slow, with out-ofpocket agents expressing
their frustration that Iata has
allowed the airline to re-enter
the BSP knowing that millions
of rands of trade refunds are
still outstanding.
A mid-November survey of
Asata members revealed that
909 refunds – amounting to
a cash value of R2 200 000
– were still owed to the travel
trade and its clients.
Ceo of Asata, Otto de
Vries, has been engaging
with Iata on the matter and
says it advised him that
CemAir had reached all
the BSP requirements for
reinstatement. He added that
Iata told him it believed the
outstanding refunds could be
better managed with CemAir
back in the BSP under a
more controlled environment.
“Based on Iata’s comments
it would appear that its
reintroduction allows for better
controls but I remain deeply
concerned by the slow pace of
refunds and the disingenuous
approach CemAir appears to
have taken in this process.”
Supervisor at Sure Etnique
Travel, Shannon Botha, told
TNW that her office was
still waiting for R25 000 in
refunds but said clients would
still support the airline if it
was able to reintroduce the
Bloemfontein-George route,
which had been very popular.
ITC Rene Toner has also
been waiting for her clients’
refunds for more than a year
and feels it is unacceptable
that the airline is back in BSP.
Some progress has been
made. Md of eTravel, Tammy
Hunt, says the R60 000 in
refunds it had been waiting for
was finally paid this month.
