Comair (South Africa) Explained

Airline:Comair
Iata:MN
Icao:CAW
Callsign:COMAIR
Founded:
Frequent Flyer:Executive Club/Avios
Parent:British Airways
Headquarters:Kempton Park, Ekurhuleni, Gauteng, South Africa
Subsidiaries:kulula.com
Revenue: ZAR 5.45billion (2020)
Profit: ZAR billion (2020)

Comair Limited was an airline based in South Africa that operated scheduled services on domestic routes as a British Airways franchisee (and an affiliate member of the Oneworld airline alliance). It also operated as a low-cost carrier under its own kulula.com brand. Its main base was O. R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, while focus cities were Cape Town International Airport in Cape Town, and King Shaka International Airport in Durban. Its headquarters were near OR Tambo in the Bonaero Park area of Kempton Park, Ekurhuleni, Gauteng.[1]

History

The idea for the airline came out of discussion of two second world war pilots based in Egypt, J.M.S. Martin and A.L. Zoubert, they gained another partner Leon Zimmerman and Commercial Air Services was formed in 1943 on their return to South Africa.[2] The company began charter operations on 15 June 1946 using Fairchild F-24 Argus and Douglas DC-3 aircraft.[3] Scheduled services between Rand Airport, Johannesburg and Durban began on 1 July 1948, using a Cessna 195.[4]

In 1978, Donald (Dave) Novick negotiated a management buyout of Comair's aviation assets.[5] A lengthy legal battle ensued between Novick and the Pickard Group. On 5 June 1978, Justice George Colman rendered a 291-page document in favour of Novick. In doing so, Colman established 12 precedents in South African corporate law; the litigation is now considered to be a landmark case.

When Novick joined Comair in 1961, the company had some 50 employees and operated two Douglas DC-3 aircraft. Under his direction, the company expanded its fleet into jet aircraft after the de-regulation of South African airline routes in 1991.

Novick pioneered a strong relationship with British Airways plc and a partnership through a franchise arrangement. British Airways later took a shareholding in Comair.

In 2001 kulula.com was established, by co-founders Gidon Novick and Erik Venter, as the first low-cost airline in South Africa. The airline maintained its lead in this segment of the market, serving leisure business customers. As part of a R3.5 billion[6] investment in fleet upgrade, Comair ordered eight Boeing 737-800s to update its fleet in 2013.[7]

In March 2014, Comair announced a R9 billion order for eight Boeing 737 MAX. The aircraft were due to be delivered from 2019 to 2022.[8]

The government of the British Overseas Territories Saint Helena and the United Kingdom's Department for International Development (DFID) announced in March 2015 that it had reached agreement with Comair for the provision of weekly air services from Johannesburg, to commence in 2016, when the Atlantic island's airport was due to open for revenue service.[9] Comair withdrew from the agreement before the introduction of scheduled flights, due to severe wind shear on the initial test flights. A scheduled service provided by Airlink started in 2017.[10]

In August 2016, Imperial Air Cargo, a cargo airline in which Comair owned a 30 percent stake, started operations.

The company entered into voluntary business rescue proceedings on 5 May 2020, due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Operations were suspended on 31 May 2022.[11] On 9 June 2022 the business rescue practitioners announced that there was no reasonable prospect of rescue and that the company be placed into liquidation.[12]

Corporate affairs

Ownership and structure

Comair Limited was a public company listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE: COM), but after going into business rescue on 5 May 2020, the company was delisted from the Johannesburg Stock Exchange on 7 April 2021; this gave it access to ZAR100 million rand (USD6.8 million) under the COVID-19 Loan Guarantee Scheme put in place between the South African Reserve Bank and large commercial banks.[13]

The group had a number of subsidiary activities, including Comair Catering Proprietary Limited, trading under the Food Directions brand, that provided on-board catering and retail services to the group’s flights, and health and other food products to South African retailers, and also had a 56% shareholding in The Highly Nutritious Food Company Proprietary Limited, trading as Eatrite, that distributes its products to retailers in South Africa.

Business trends

The published key trends for the Comair group (which includes activities under the British Airways and kulula.com brands) are shown below, as at years ending 30 June.

Comair entered into voluntary business rescue proceedings on 5 May 2020, due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, and no annual accounts for the fiscal year ending 30 June 2020 have therefore been published. The figures for 2020 shown below are from the Management Accounts set out in the Business Rescue Plan:

200920102011201220132014201520162017201820192020
Turnover (R m)3,0493,0103,5884,1635,3875,9035,8915,9606,0646,5377,1265,448
Profit before tax (EBT) (R m)114124106113313743012954354711,103
Profit after tax (R m)219193297326897
Number of employees 1,7821,9411,9531,8531,9122,0262,0882,1002,1212,2062,193
Number of passengers (m)5.25.15.45.55.86.0
Passenger load factor (%)767679
Number of aircraft (at year end)2325242427262525262625
Notes/sources[14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [25]

Headquarters

The Group’s headquarters were based at 1 Marignane Drive, Bonaero Park, Kempton Park.[24]

Destinations

British Airways franchisee

Comair offered flights to and from the following destinations, operating under the British Airways brand:[26]

Mauritius
Namibia
South Africa
Zambia
Zimbabwe

kulula.com

Comair offered flights to and from the following destinations, operating under the kulula.com brand:[26]

South Africa

Codeshares

Comair codeshared with the following airlines:[27]

Fleet

, Comair fleet included the following aircraft operated as British Airways franchise:

Comair fleet
AircraftTotalOrdersPassengers[28] Notes
CYTotal
Boeing 737-4002—18126144
Boeing 737-80010 - 24138162
Total12—

Incidents and accidents

See also

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. "Contact Us ." Comair. Retrieved 30 September 2009. "Comair Limited Physical address: Cnr Atlas Road and Marignane Drive Bonaero Park 1619 South Africa"
  2. Web site: Down Memory Lane - Rand Airport - The Early Years after World War Two. Ken Fuller. SAA Museum Society. June 2003.
  3. Web site: Commercial Air Services . Air History . 2 May 2022.
  4. Book: Van Dyke, Capt Donald L. Fortune Favours the Bold: An African Aviation Odyssey. 2008. Xlibris. 978-1-4363-9314-0. 102.
  5. Book: Hahlo's South African Company Law Through the Cases: A Source Book: a Collection of Cases on Company Law, with Explanatory Notes and Comments. 9780702151422. Pretorius. J. T.. 1999.
  6. Web site: Comair – British Airways (operated by Comair) celebrates first of its new fleet. comair.co.za. 31 August 2017. 1 September 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170901021127/http://www.comair.co.za/media-room/media-statements/british-airways-operated-by-comair-celebrates-first-of-its-new-fleet. dead.
  7. Web site: Comair orders 737-800 . 9 July 2012 . dead . https://archive.today/20130422004514/http://www.aviationcentral.co.za/airlines/190 . 22 April 2013 .
  8. News: Does Comair have eyes on Africa expansion?. News24. 31 August 2017.
  9. "http://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/AIRPORT-St-Helena-Air-Services-to-be-Provided-by-Comair-Aviation-Only-27-March-2015.pdf"
  10. https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Air-Services-to-St-Helena-QandAs-updated-February-2018.pdf St Helena Government. Air Services to St Helena and Ascension Island.
  11. Web site: Comair - Comair suspends flights pending receipt of funding . 2 June 2022 . 19 June 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220619085149/https://www.comair.co.za/media-room/comair-suspends-flights-pending-receipt-of-funding . dead .
  12. Web site: Staff Writer . Comair goes under – with no prospect of rescue . 2022-06-09 . en-US.
  13. Web site: South Africa's Comair seeks new financial support. 14 July 2021. 18 December 2021.
  14. Web site: Comair Limited Annual Report 2009. 14 September 2009. 18 September 2013. 7 October 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20131007032213/http://www.comair.co.za/Media/Comair/files/2009/AnnualReport.pdf. dead.
  15. Web site: Comair Limited Annual Report 2010. 13 September 2010. 17 September 2013. 6 October 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20131006105254/http://www.comair.co.za/Media/Comair/files/2010/AnnualReport.pdf. dead.
  16. Web site: Comair Limited Integrated Annual Report 2011. 12 September 2011. 17 September 2013. 6 October 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20131006215609/http://www.comair.co.za/Media/Comair/files/2011/AnnualReport.pdf. dead.
  17. Web site: Comair Limited Integrated Annual Report 2012. 11 September 2012. 17 September 2013. 7 October 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20131007212203/http://www.comair.co.za/Media/Comair/files/2012/Comair%20Limited%20Intergrated%20Annual%20Report%202012.pdf. dead.
  18. Web site: Comair Limited Annual Report 2013 . 13 February 2014 . 22 February 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140222063209/http://www.comair.co.za/Media/Comair/files/2013/Comair-Limited-Intergrated-Annual-Report-2013.pdf . dead .
  19. Web site: Comair Limited Annual Report 2014 . 24 February 2016 . 3 March 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160303192654/http://www.comair.co.za/Media/Comair/files/2014/Annual-Report-2014.pdf . dead .
  20. Web site: Comair Limited Annual Report 2015 . 24 February 2016 . 3 March 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160303192900/http://www.comair.co.za/Media/Comair/files/2015/Annual-Report-2015.pdf . dead .
  21. Web site: Comair Limited Annual Report 2016. 13 September 2016. 10 December 2017. 19 September 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170919153829/http://www.comair.co.za/Media/Comair/files/2016/Annual-Report-2016.pdf. dead.
  22. Web site: Comair Limited Annual Report 2017. 11 September 2017. 10 December 2017. 11 December 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171211053955/http://www.comair.co.za/Media/Comair/files/2017/comair-annual-report-2017-final.pdf. dead.
  23. Web site: Comair Limited Annual Report 2018. 17 September 2018. 20 February 2019. 2 October 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181002141541/http://www.comair.co.za/Media/Comair/files/2018/comair-annual-report-2018-final.pdf. dead.
  24. Web site: Comair Limited Annual Report 2019. 16 September 2019. 27 June 2020. 30 June 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200630021739/https://www.comair.co.za/Media/Comair/files/2019/annual-report/comair-annual-report-2019.pdf. dead.
  25. Web site: Comair Limited (In Business Rescue) Management Accounts. 2 September 2020. 18 December 2021. 19 December 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211219000536/https://www.comair.co.za/Media/Comair/page/business-rescue/annexure-f-management-accounts-of-the-company-as-at-30-april-2020-and-30-june-2020.pdf. dead.
  26. Web site: Route Network. Comair. 20 November 2017. 1 December 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171201034728/http://www.comair.co.za/about-us/route-network. dead.
  27. Web site: Profile on Comair (South Africa). CAPA. Centre for Aviation. 29 October 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161029172525/http://centreforaviation.com/profiles/airlines/comair-south-africa-mn. 2016-10-29. live.
  28. http://avcom.co.za/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=56880 Comair Aircraft configurations
  29. Web site: C/N 19484 . The Dakota Association of South Africa . 25 July 2010.
  30. Web site: ZS-EJK Accident report . Aviation Safety Network . 25 July 2010.
  31. "," Airdisaster.com
  32. Web site: ASN Aircraft accident Embraer EMB-110P1 Bandeirante ZS-LGP Germiston, c. 13 km SW of Johannesburg International Airport (JNB'. Ranter. Harro. aviation-safety.net. 31 August 2017.
  33. https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20151026-0

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