Following a series of meetings between all interested parties, Bitou Local Municipality and CemAir (Pty) Ltd are in the process of entering into a binding agreement to restore the Plettenberg Bay Airport License and return CemAir’s scheduled airline flights to the Airport.
In terms of the agreement, CemAir will engage with the South African Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to, jointly with the Bitou Local Municipality, manage the process of rectifying all identified non-conformances. As the owner of the Airport, the Municipality will provide its full co-operation and support to expedite this process.
Although some work on the resolution of issues has already begun, the signing of this co-operation agreement will allocate additional resources from CemAir to resolve the identified shortcomings, allowing the Airport to once again meet the safety compliance requirements as soon as possible. It is hoped that with the support of the CAA it will be possible to recommence commercial flights to Plettenberg Bay during October 2021.
The Bitou Local Municipality commits to creating an enabling environment for the speedy resolution of this matter to ensure that CemAir continues to provide commercial flights. The duration of the agreement between the two parties will allow for the implementation of the Council Resolution to outsource the management of the airport to a suitably qualified private party through an open and transparent tender process.
CemAir appreciates the support of the community and firmly believe this is a good example of how public and private sectors can work together for the benefit of all. Additional updates will be provided as progress is made on this initiative.
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