Three South African Airways (SAA) Cargo Boeing 737 freighter aircraft – which were suspended last Wednesday – are reportedly back in service this week, according to an anonymous source citing a high-level SAA Technical official.
E-mails and calls to SAA spokesperson Tlali Tlali went unanswered –– but the aviation industry insider was confident of the accuracy of his information.
He explained that the older 737 aircraft weren’t built to accommodate the Traffic Collision Avoidance System or Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System, which explained SAA’s decision to withdraw the aircraft while awaiting the correct equipment from the United States to upgrade the system.
Tlali was quoted in the media last week as saying the “necessary tooling” was expected to arrive on Friday last week.
A South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) spokesperson confirmed that the national carrier had applied for an exemption extension on the installation of the Traffic Collision Avoidance System or Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System. “Upon review by the SACAA, the application was found to be unsatisfactory and as a result the application was turned down and SAA self-imposed the suspension of some of its freighter services,” the spokesperson added.
FTWO’s source said he expected the services into Africa and other shorter international destinations would have been most affected by the suspension of the service.
“The Airbus craft is used on major long-haul flights and has not been affected,” he said.
