Plettenberg Bay Airport has been shut down indefinitely after the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) issued a notice to Bitou Municipality on July 31 suspending its airport licence with immediate effect.
As a result of the notice, the airport is effectively closed.
Garden Route Aero (GRA), a subsidiary of rsa.AREO (which manages the Winelands Airport in Cape Town) was due to take over operations at the airport from Bitou Municipality in July, as reported by Travel News.
However, SACAA will issue the new licence to GRA only once historic issues and maintenance backlogs on the runway have been addressed by the municipality.
An offer has been made by GRA to Bitou Municipality to deal with the historic issues and maintenance backlogs on Bitou Municipality’s behalf, by way of a transitional funding agreement. GRA is currently awaiting a decision.
“We are eager for the licence to be issued to GRA. We see the airport as an extension of the town and an important asset to the Garden Route region,” said Deidre Davids, spokesperson for GRA.
As a result of the closure, CemAir has suspended all its flights to and from the airport, CEO Miles van der Molen told Travel News. CemAir was the only airline offering commercial services to and from the airport.
Van der Molen added that passengers would be accommodated via George Airport.
Agents and passengers are requested to contact the airline directly for updates on flight information.