Sa airlink
Unions welcome court ruling paving way for vote on SAA’s rescue plan
Creditors were expected to vote on whether to implement the business rescue practitioners’ (BRPs) controversial business plan to save the broke airline.
SA Airlink brought the matter to the court on an urgent basis ahead of the business rescue practitioners, creditors and others who were expected to meet on Thursday.
With potential private investment on the cards for SAA, the regional airline wants the financially cash-strapped national carrier to be placed under provisional liquidation.
The department said that its learnt of an application by SA Airlink aimed at stopping the national carrier's business rescue practitioners from convening the meeting to vote on the turnaround plan.
The decision was taken due to the airport's sub-standard rescue and firefighting response times, as well as a lack of aerodrome emergency management systems.
The commission says it believes a merger will stifle competition and Safair would be unfairly incorporated into an agreement SA Airlink has with SAA.
The Competition Commission says the transaction is likely to damage a competitive market.
The companies made the announcement on Monday, saying their formal application will be submitted on Tuesday.
The Civil Aviation Authority indicated that one of the pilots may have pushed a button by mistake.
An SA Airlink plane travelling from Cape Town to Wonderboom Airport, with 72 passengers on board, was thought to have been hijacked but later it emerged that a faulty signal was to blame for the alert.
Earlier, there were concerns on social media about the suspected hijacking.
The airline says its aircraft have difficulty landing and taking off at the Mthatha and Polokwane airports.