FlySafair Passenger Saves the Day After Pilot Fell Ill During Flight; SA Discusses

• A FlySafair flight from George in the Western Cape to Gauteng began without incident and ended dramatically
• The pilot reportedly fell ill and the first officer requested the assistance of a qualified pilot on board
• Luckily, one of the passengers was a pilot and South Africans weighed in on the latest FlySafair drama

Tebogo Mokwena, a dedicated Briefly News current affairs journalist, contributed coverage of international and local social issues like health, corruption, education, unemployment, labour, service delivery protests and immigration in South Africa during his seven years at Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News.

GAUTENG — Thanks to the assistance of a qualified pilot on board, a FlySafair flight from George in the Western Cape to Johannesburg landed safely after the pilot fell ill on 29 January 2025.

What happened on Flight FA711?

According to FlySafair, flight FA711's pilot started feeling unwell during the flight and informed the First Officer of his condition. The First Officer assumed control and landed the aircraft at the OR Tambo International Airport. He, however, had some assistance.

The First Officer asked the passengers if a registered pilot was present. Fortunately, a pilot was on board and he offered his assistance. The passenger did not do any flying, but read the required checklist, making it possible for the First Officer to land the plane without incident. The pilot received immediate medical attention.

What you need to know about FlySafair

South Africa's International Air Services Council (IASC) founFlySafair noncompliant in December 2024 after its ownership structure was questioned

A South African Broadcasting Corporation employee went viral after getting into an altercation on a FlySafair flight during the festive season

The National Consumer Commission launched an investigation in January after a passenger complained of overbooking

South Africans make jokes

Netizens on Facebook made jokes about the flight.

Anton Bertram said:

"The story goes that he was drunk."

Laura F Hicks said:

"Imagine hearing an announcement asking if there's a qualified pilot on board!"

Lientjie Meintjies said:

"Amazing work from the first officer and the passenger pilot."

Peter Kabangu said:

"I will try as well to park it, at least."

Izak van Niekerk said:

"They are trying everything, but they are the best airline in SA."

OR Tambo flights resume after earlier grounding

In a related article, Briefly News reported that flights at the OR Tambo International Airport in December were temporarily grounded due to supply chain issues. Many of the aircraft were experiencing fuel shortages.

Aircraft resumed their flights after refuelling, and South Africans were disappointed in what happened during the delay, and some shared their experiences of flight delays.

Source: Briefly News