Angolan Plane Grounded at Cape Town International Airport After Permitless Landing, Embassy Apologises

• An Angolan aircraft that landed at Cape Town International Airport on Friday, 7 October, has been grounded
• The aircraft, which was chartered by Angolan airline, TAAG, landed without the mandatory foreign operator's permit
• The Angolan embassy reached out to the transport department to apologise for the incident

CAPE TOWN - The Department of Transport confirmed that a charter plane from Angola has been grounded at Cape Town International Airport for landing without a needed foreign operator's permit (FOP).

The Air Traffic and Navigation Services (ATNS) accepted the aircraft into South African airspace from the direction of Namibia. The transport department said the aircraft was not transporting passengers except the onboard flight crew.

The spokesperson for the transport department, Lwazi Khoza, stated that the airline, TAAG, which operated flights between Luanda and Johannesburg has an FOP that lists all of the planes it utilises for scheduled flights.

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However, the airline chartered the aircraft in concern because the airline grounded some of its fleet for maintenance. That means the chartered aircraft was not listed under the airline's FOP, News24 reported.

The South African Aviation Authority (SACAA) investigated the incident and found that the crew was in contravention of the Chicago Convention. Still, the SACAA found that the aircraft and flight crew complied with safety requirements and did not pose a risk to South African airspace, The Citizen reported.

The Angolan embassy subsequently reached out to the Department of Transport and apologised for the TAAG landing the chartered aircraft without the necessary documentation.

South Africans react to the grounded aircraft

South Africans shared their views on the incident below.

Here are some reactions:

@mkhonzeni5481 asked:

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"We are a real BANANA REPUBLIC , how is that even possible?"

@MarumoMashigo suggested:

"If South Africa belongs to all Africans let's ask Juju Malema for comments and hear his response this country is lawless and a banana republic"

SA’s skills drain sees pilots leaving South Africa for the US as airlines continue to struggle

In another story, Briefly News reported that South African pilots are jetting off to the United States for new opportunities after several local airlines were forced to close down.

South Africa's flag carrier, SA Airways(SAA), was forced to cut the number of pilots by over 80%. Mango, SA's low-cost carrier, has been grounded for over a year, and many speculate that it will never return to the sky. SA Express, which hasn't flown since the onset of the pandemic, was placed in final liquidation in September.

Source: Briefly News