FlySafair Confirms it Will Continue Operating Regular Flights Despite Regulatory Compliance Challenges in South Africa

FlySafair has reassured its passengers that all flights will proceed as scheduled, despite facing a recent ruling from the Air Services Licensing Council (ASLC) regarding compliance with South African regulations.

Compliance Issue Relates to Shareholding Structure

The issue arose when the South African International Air Services Council (IASC) received formal complaints from Airlink and LIFT Airline in February 2022, which led to an investigation into FlySafair’s shareholding structure.

The investigation revealed that FlySafair’s foreign ownership exceeded the legal limit of 25% set by South African law for domestic airlines.

FlySafair’s majority shareholder is Ireland-based ASL Aviation Holdings, which directly holds 25% of the airline and indirectly controls nearly 50% through the Safair Investment Trust, bringing ASL’s total stake to 74.86%.

ASLC Grants Time for Compliance

In light of this violation, the ASLC has given FlySafair 12 months to meet the regulatory requirements.

Monthly progress reports will be required from the airline to demonstrate its efforts toward compliance.

Despite these legal challenges, FlySafair has emphasized that there will be no disruption to its services.

The airline clarified that the issue at hand is purely a regulatory matter regarding ownership structure and not an operational concern.

FlySafair Confident in Resolving the Matter

FlySafair’s Chief Marketing Officer, Kirby Gordon, expressed relief that the situation wouldn’t affect flights, assuring customers that the airline would continue to operate as usual.

“There is no threat to operations at this time, and we’re fully focused on serving our customers while we address this matter,” Gordon stated.

He further confirmed that FlySafair would do everything possible to meet compliance within the 12-month period.

Customers can rest assured that FlySafair remains committed to providing reliable service while resolving the ownership issue.

The airline has called on passengers to continue booking flights with confidence during this time.