Good day all
Once again the South Africa aviation community are in a state of mourning after the tragic crash of the Convair 340 which was due to leave for The Netherlands today. The accident cost the lives of two people one of them a very well-known and respected member of the local aviation community. Christo Barnard better known as “Oom Barries” was the flight engineer on the ill-fated flight. May their souls rest in eternal peace.
This weekend promises to be a very busy one for aviators many of which will be making the annual pilgrimage to Nylstroom for the EAA taildraggers fly-in. Nylstroom Taildraggers has become a “not to be missed” event on the South African aviation calendar. Aircraft will be descending on the quiet Limpopo town of Modimolle form early on Friday morning.
Sunday see the next instalment of the SA aerobatics completions, the Judges Trophy will be held at Vereeniging Airfield many of the top aerobatics pilots will be taking part and the competition on all the levels will be intense.
The friends of the SAAF Museum are restoring a World War @ Supermarine Spitfire. John Edmond has generously agreed to put on a concert to raise funds towards this. All proceeds from the ticket sales go to the restoration project.
After the emergence of information that the Chief of The SAAF, Lieutenant General Fabian Zimpande (Zakes) Msimang , was placed on suspension on various charges the SANDF responded with the following letter.
Airlink adds capacity to JHB-Walvis Bay route
Airlink has confirmed that from 30 July it will introduce further capacity to its Johannesburg-Walvis Bay service.
The airline will introduce one of its newly-acquired 74-seat Embraer 170 E-Jets to the route, which will provide customers with enhanced comfort by way of 68 economy class seats with a generous seat pitch, and six business class seats.
The E-Jet cabin layout features two-plus-two abreast seating, with large eye-level windows allowing in lots of natural light, and ample overhead bin space to accommodate carry-on items.
Every seat offers either a window or an aisle option.
Benefits for Airlink travellers include Voyager Miles and convenient connections with SAA and its global partner flights.
Four-star ranking awarded to three ACSA airports
Three of Airports Company South Africa airports have received a four-star ranking from OAG's latest assessment for on-time performance. These airports include O. R. Tambo International Airport (82.9% on-time performance), Cape Town International Airport (84.4%) and King Shaka International Airport (84.8%).
OAG’s On-time Performance (OTP) Star Ratings accredits the top airlines and airports around the world for superior punctuality performance. The top 10% of airlines and airports receive five stars.
The OTP Star Ratings are measured across a rolling 12-month period. To achieve an OTP star rating, the world’s airlines and airports must meet two simple criteria: all airlines and airports must have a minimum of 600 operations a month and OAG must receive flight status information for no less than 80% of scheduled flights within the 12-month period.
Airports Company South Africa, chief operating officer, Fundi Sithebe says the four-star ranking for the three airports reflects the company’s continuing efforts to provide the best experience across the dimensions that matter most to airport users. "Operating large airports is a complex business that involves coordination and integration among thousands of people who provide the services required for aircraft to be able to land and take off at the scheduled times.
"When running an airport, one relatively small problem in one area has the potential to create a knock-on effect across the system. This is why it is key for management of airports to focus closely not only on the major elements of delivering on-time performance, but also on things that are perceived to be trivial."
Sithebe says Airports Company South Africa endeavours to become part of the airport elite, the top 10% that have the best on-time performance in the world.
"By running airports efficiently and developing them innovatively this will be achieved. We have in place good people, good systems and world-class infrastructure. We know that it is possible to get to the top and this is what motivates us," concludes Sithebe.
