Comair (South Africa)
| Comair | |
|---|---|
|
|
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| IATA code : | MN |
| ICAO code : | CAW |
| Call sign : | COMMERCIAL |
| Founding: | 1946 |
| Seat: |
Johannesburg , South Africa
|
| Turnstile : | |
| Home airport : | Johannesburg OR Tambo |
| Company form: | Limited |
| ISIN : | ZAE000029823 |
| IATA prefix code : | 161 |
| Management: | D. Novick |
| Number of employees: | 2141 (2017/18) |
| Sales: | R 6.54 billion (2017/18) |
| Profit: | R 325.6 million (2017/18) |
| Passenger volume: | 5,801,191 (2017/18) |
| Fleet size: | 30 (+ 7 orders) (with Kulula) |
| Aims: | National and international |
| Website: |
www.comair.co.za |
Comair is a South African airline and the country's oldest private airline, with headquarters in Johannesburg and home base at OR Tambo Airport . It no longer carries out its flight operations under its own name, but uses the two brands Kulula and British Airways for its external appearance. Comair offers low-cost flights under its own brand Kulula and under the British Airways brand it operates routes in southern Africa on behalf of the British airline.
history
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The airline was founded on July 14, 1946 as a Commercial Air Service by AC Joubert, JMS Martin, L. Zimmerman and JD Human, who served in the South African Air Force during World War II . From 1948 onwards it operated flights between Rand Airport in Johannesburg and Durban , for which a Cessna 195 was used.
The airline grew rapidly in the first decades of its existence and in 1992 served some of the main routes in South Africa. She ended up using several Boeing 737-200s . In addition to the national destinations, it also flew to cities in neighboring countries, including Gaborone and Harare .
After Comair carried out contract flights under the British Airways brand identity from 1996, it founded a low-cost flight company division under its own brand Kulula in 2001 , which has been systematically expanded since then and supplemented by additional services such as rental cars and accommodation based on the model of easyJet . British Airways has held an 18 percent minor stake in Comair since 2000. 30 percent of the company is owned by management and five percent by employees. 38 percent are held by institutional and retail investors. The company is listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange .
Comair reported a profit for the 72nd year in a row in the 2017/2018 financial year. The profit was 325.6 million rand .
At the end of April 2020, the company announced that due to the COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa, flights could hardly be expected to start before October 2020. This is not financially feasible for Comair. The airline was placed under bankruptcy administration on May 5, 2020 . By the end of July 2020, the necessary funds for a rescue could not be raised. At the end of August 2020, the rescue of the airline and the resumption of flight operations on December 1, 2020 were confirmed. The fleet is to be reduced to 20 aircraft.
Brand appearances
Comair operates as an airline in South Africa under two brand names:
- Under the British Airways brand as a franchisee for feeder flights in southern Africa in the corporate design and on behalf of the British company.
- Under the Kulula brand as a low-cost airline .
British Airways
The franchise agreement with British Airways was signed in 1995 and flight operations began under this brand identity in 1996. At the beginning of the partnership, Comair flew as British Airways Comair , then as British Airways Regional and since the beginning of the 2000s under the name British Airways. It carries out the commissioned flights not with its own but with British Airways flight numbers (BA6200 to 6449).
Kulula
Comair set up the Kulula division on August 1, 2001, and under this brand identity became the first provider of low-cost flights in southern Africa . The name can be derived from the Zulu word for "easy" or "simple". Because Kulula is not an airline, but only a Comair brand name, the low-cost flights are operated under Comair's IATA and ICAO codes.
The first aircraft used by Kulula were Boeing 727-200s , which were later replaced by more modern, quieter and less expensive Boeing 737-400s . These aircraft were leased from Safair and are no longer in use today. A uniform fleet policy was not recognizable at that time, as aircraft of different types, such as Boeing 737 and McDonnell Douglas MD-82 were operated. This changed in 2008 when the MD-82 was discontinued and replaced by another Boeing 737.
In an advertising campaign in the run-up to the 2010 soccer World Cup , Comair described its Kulula brand image as the “Unofficial National Carrier of the 'you-know-what'” (German: Unofficial airline of the you-know-what ). The company was promptly sued by the world football association FIFA . The association accused Comair of making an unauthorized reference to the World Cup in the advertisement. Kulula then started an advertising campaign and advertised cheap flights for everyone, except for the then FIFA President Sepp Blatter , for whom all flights were free. The owner of a Boston Terrier changed his dog's name to Sepp Blatter and accepted the offer. The dog was introduced as the new mascot on Kulula's Facebook page. The new advertisement said it was official. "Sepp Blatter flies with us". The advertising campaign received international attention in the press and increased the level of awareness of Kulula.
Comair flies to domestic destinations under the Kulula brand from OR Tambo and Lanseria airports near Johannesburg .
Other business areas
Under the “SLOW Lounges” brand, Comair operates exclusive waiting areas at the airports in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban and Lanseria . There is also a dedicated catering company called “Food Directions” as well as a travel platform called “Kulula Holidays” and an education and training center, the “Comair Trainings Center”.
Destinations
There are currently (as of October 2018) 14 national and international destinations:
- British Airways (from Johannesburg): Mauritius , Harare , Livingstone , Victoria Falls , Windhoek , Durban , Cape Town , Port Elizabeth
- Kulula (from Johannesburg or Lanseria): Durban, East London , George , Cape Town
fleet
Comair
Current fleet
As of April 2020, Comair's fleet consists of 20 aircraft with an average age of 16.1 years:
| Aircraft type | number | ordered | Remarks | Seats ( Business / Economy ) |
Average age
(April 2020) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boeing 737-400 | 5 | 162 (- / 162) | 27.7 years | ||
| Boeing 737-800 | 14th | with winglets fitted | 174 (- / 174)
162 (24/138) |
13.0 years | |
| Boeing 737 MAX 8 | 1 | 7th | - open - | 1.2 years | |
| total | 20th | 7th | 16.1 years | ||
Previously used aircraft models
In the past, Comair used the following models:
Kulula.com
Current fleet
As of April 2020, Kulula.com has a fleet of 10 aircraft with an average age of 13.4 years:
| Aircraft type | number | ordered | Remarks | Seats | Average age
(April 2020) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boeing 737-400 | 1 | 162 | 30.9 years | ||
| Boeing 737-800 | 9 | 186
189 |
7.7 years | ||
| total | 10 | - | 13.4 years | ||
Previously used aircraft models
In the past, Kualua.com used the following models:
Incidents
- On March 1, 1988, an Embraer EMB 110 (ZS-LGP) , which Comair had leased from Bop Air , broke in the air after a bomb explosion on the flight from Phalaborwa to Johannesburg a few minutes before landing. All 17 people on board were killed. A passenger who had recently taken out high life insurance was believed to be the culprit. (see also Comair Limited Flight 206 )
Web links
- Website of the Comair Limited (English)
- Kulula website of the (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Annual Financial Report 2018. Comair. Retrieved October 2, 2018.
- ^ Comair in "a very difficult financial position". African Aerospace, May 4, 2020.
- ^ South Africa's Comair files for business rescue. ch-aviation, May 5, 2020.
- ^ South Africa's Comair fights to raise fresh funding. ch-aviation, July 27, 2020.
- ↑ Comair selects a bid. Travel News, August 28, 2020.
- ↑ kulula.com, Legal - British Airways international flights, Franchises
- ^ Aero Transport Data Bank, Comair
- ↑ Der Spiegel - Low-cost airline puts FIFA boss on the dog, July 3, 2010, accessed on July 3, 2010
- ↑ Stuttgarter Zeitung - Even the Kingdom of Fifa is powerless, June 23, 2010 ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved July 3, 2010
- ↑ Handelszeitung - Blatter could fly for free, June 23, 2010 ( Memento of the original from December 25, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved July 3, 2010
- ↑ kulula.com - routes , accessed on March 23, 2015
- ^ A b Astrid Röben: AERO INTERNATIONAL article: The young at heart . Ed .: Dietmar Plath. No. 06/2018 . YEAR TOP SPECIAL VERLAG, Hamburg June 2018.
- ↑ a b c Comair Fleet Details and History. In: planespotters.net. April 12, 2020, accessed on April 12, 2020 .
- ↑ boeing.com - Orders and Deliveries (English) accessed on November 16, 2017
- ↑ a b c Kulula.com Fleet Details and History. In: planespotters.net. April 6, 2020, accessed on April 12, 2020 .
- ↑ Aircraft accident data and report Comair, Embraer EMB 110, March 1, 1988 in the Aviation Safety Network (English)
