Comair will restart flight operations on Thursday, following the reinstatement of the group’s Air Operator’s Certificate by the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA), the company stated late Wednesday night. Comair operates the British Airways in South Africa and Kulula low-cost carrier brands.

“We’re pleased that the situation is finally resolved, following an immense effort over five days and nights to engage and work with the SACAA,” said Comair CEO Glenn Orsmond. “After a thorough review of Comair’s documentation, the SACAA has lifted the precautionary suspension of Comair’s licence. Our focus is now to get our operations back to normal as quickly as possible so we can further assist our customers.”

The flight schedules for both British Airways and Kulula would be phased back in. Customers with reservations would be directly contacted by the company. They were also advised to consult the websites of the group’s two airlines before going to an airport. Both brands would also post information updates on their social media channels.

The SACAA made no findings regarding the safety and security of either flight operations or maintenance by Comair. The agency’s findings were directed at the level of the supporting evidence for some quality assurance process management systems and procedures, as well as the structure of the safety department and its personnel, and the flow of repair confirmation documentation.

During the grounding, Comair sought to assist the affected passengers as well as it could. This included finding alternative seats on other airlines (where available) and chartering wide-body airliners. But not enough seats could be found for everyone, as Comair accounts for 40% of the capacity in the South African domestic market.

“The past four days have demonstrated the implications of having so much capacity removed from the market at such short notice,” affirmed Orsmond. “Having Comair’s operational capability restored is good news for our customers, our employees, the flying public and the sector.”

Regarding affected customers who had been booked on British Airways, Comair stated that the British Airways ‘Book with Confidence’ policy would apply. Such passengers could rebook their flights through the company (via its website or its contact centre) or through their travel agents.

Affected Kulula passengers would get a full credit on the price of their tickets. This would be valid to book another flight, within six months of the date of their original flight booking. Note that the six-month period applies to the rebooking process, not the rebooked flight: reservations made during the rebooking period could be for flights within 12 months of the rebooking date.