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| Founded | 1943 (1943) (asCommercial Air Services) | ||||||
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| Ceased operations | 9 June 2022 (2022-06-09)[1] | ||||||
| Hubs |
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| Focus cities |
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| Frequent-flyer program | Executive Club/Avios | ||||||
| Alliance | Oneworld(affiliate; 1999–2022) | ||||||
| Subsidiaries | kulula.com | ||||||
| Parent company | British Airways | ||||||
| Headquarters | Kempton Park,Ekurhuleni,Gauteng, South Africa | ||||||
| Key people | |||||||
| Revenue |  ZAR 5.45 billion (2020) | ||||||
| Profit | ZAR−2.09 billion (2020) | ||||||
| Website | www | ||||||
Comair Limited was an airline based inSouth Africa that operated scheduled services on domestic routes as aBritish Airwaysfranchisee (and an affiliate member of theOneworld airline alliance).[1] It also operated as alow-cost carrier under its ownkulula.com brand. Its main base wasO. R. Tambo International Airport inJohannesburg, while focus cities wereCape Town International Airport in Cape Town, andKing Shaka International Airport inDurban. Its headquarters were near OR Tambo in theBonaero Park area ofKempton Park,Ekurhuleni, Gauteng.[2]
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.[3] The company began charter operations on 15 June 1946 usingFairchild F-24 Argus andDouglas DC-3 aircraft.[4] Scheduled services betweenRand Airport, Johannesburg and Durban began on 1 July 1948, using aCessna 195.[5]
In 1978, Donald (Dave) Novick negotiated a management buyout of Comair's aviation assets.[6] 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.[citation needed]
When Novick joined Comair in 1961, the company had some 50 employees and operated twoDouglas 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.[citation needed]
In 2001kulula.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[7] investment in fleet upgrade, Comair ordered eightBoeing 737-800s to update its fleet in 2013.[8]
In March 2014, Comair announced a R9 billion order for eightBoeing 737 MAX. The aircraft were due to be delivered from 2019 to 2022.[9]
The government of theBritish Overseas TerritoriesSaint Helena and the United Kingdom'sDepartment 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.[10] Comair withdrew from the agreement before the introduction of scheduled flights, due to severewind shear on the initial test flights. A scheduled service provided byAirlink started in 2017.[11]
In August 2016,Imperial Air Cargo, acargo 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 thecoronavirus pandemic.[12] Operations were suspended on 31 May 2022.[13] 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.[1]
Comair Limited was a public company listed on theJohannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE: COM),[14] 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.[15]
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,[14] 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.[14]
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 thecoronavirus 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:
| 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turnover (R m) | 3,049 | 3,010 | 3,588 | 4,163 | 5,387 | 5,903 | 5,891 | 5,960 | 6,064 | 6,537 | 7,126 | 5,448 |
| Profit before tax (EBT) (R m) | 114 | 124 | 106 | 11 | 331 | 374 | 301 | 295 | 435 | 471 | 1,103 | −2,091 |
| Profit after tax (R m) | 219 | 193 | 297 | 326 | 897 | −1,647 | ||||||
| Number of employees | 1,782 | 1,941 | 1,953 | 1,853 | 1,912 | 2,026 | 2,088 | 2,100 | 2,121 | 2,206 | 2,193 | |
| Number of passengers (m) | 5.2 | 5.1 | 5.4 | 5.5 | 5.8 | 6.0 | ||||||
| Passenger load factor (%) | 76 | 76 | 79 | |||||||||
| Number of aircraft (at year end) | 23 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 25 | |
| Notes/sources | [16] | [17] | [18] | [19] | [20] | [21] | [22] | [23] | [24] | [25] | [14] | [12] |
The Group’s headquarters were based at 1 Marignane Drive, Bonaero Park, Kempton Park.[14]
Comair offered flights to and from the following destinations, operating under the British Airways brand:[26]
Comair offered flights to and from the following destinations, operating under thekulula.com brand:[26]
Comaircodeshared with the following airlines:[27]
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As of December 2021[update], Comair fleet included the following aircraft operated asBritish Airways franchise:[citation needed]
| Aircraft | Total | Orders | Passengers[28] | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | Y | Total | ||||
| Boeing 737-400 | 2 | — | 18 | 126 | 144 | |
| Boeing 737-800 | 10 | — | 24 | 138 | 162 | |
| Boeing 737 MAX 8 | 1 | — | ||||
| Total | 12 | — | ||||
Media related toComair Limited at Wikimedia Commons
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