SAA Blantyre

SAA flight cancellations between Johannesburg and Blantyre

The airline in a statement said that this is due to the implementation of the corrective action plan following audit findings at the Chileka International Airport in Blantyre relating to the condition of the airport.

While the airport authority continues to keep the airport open, the essential services at Chileka International Airport are not fully compliant with minimum standards required for SAA to operate in line with its licensing conditions. SAA has therefore taken the decision to cancel its flights operating on Saturday, Monday and Wednesdays to and from Blantyre.

The airline has dispatched a team from its head office to augment its local staff in Blantyre in order to accelerate the implementation of the interventions intended to remedy the situation and to allow South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) to conduct inspections.

“We are encouraged by the level of commitment and urgency displayed by the authorities in working towards resolving the situation as speedily as possible. We apologise to our passengers and customers for the inconvenience caused by these cancellations,” said SAA Spokesperson, Tlali Tlali.

SAA is optimistic that services between Johannesburg and Blantyre will be reinstated soon and is monitoring progress on a daily basis.

“We are grateful to SACAA and appreciate their efforts in working with us to ensure the safety of our operations for the benefit of our customers and crew. We intend to maintain the prescribed operating standards and will not hesitate to take all and necessary steps in the interests of safety,” Tlali concluded.
The following flights are affected:

Saturday
SA172 – 19 January 2019 | Johannesburg to Blantyre
SA173 – 19 January 2019 | Blantyre to Johannesburg

Monday
SA172 – 21 January 2019 | Johannesburg to Blantyre
SA173 – 21 January 2019 |Blantyre to Johannesburg

Wednesday
SA172 – 23 January 2019 | Johannesburg to Blantyre
SA173 – 23 January 2019 | Blantyre to Johannesburg

Due to the above cancelled flights, SAA advises that customers can choose to be re-routed between Johannesburg and Lilongwe (LLW) for the period 19 January to 21 January 2019. Customers will be re-accommodated on the following scheduled flights:

SA170 – Johannesburg (JNB) – Lilongwe (LLW)
SA171 – Lilongwe (LLW) – Johannesburg (JNB)

Un-ticketed customers:
All customers that have not been ticketed can choose to be re-booked onto the Lilongwe flights operated by SAA.

Rebooking Conditions Applicable:

• SAA will rebook affected passengers onto the operation between Johannesburg and Lilongwe, where applicable;
• Re-accommodation of reservations has been made by South African Airways onto the closest available flight between Johannesburg and Lilongwe.
• Change of cabin will not be permitted.
• Change fees will be waivered
• Tickets must be re-issued on/before 21 January 2019. The booking owner may re-issue the ticket.
• Tickets to be endorsed “INVOL Re-route due SA (flight nr) CXD/Date”.
• In the event customers do not want to travel to Lilongwe, they can request a full Refund of the unused portion/ticket.