SAA extends flight cancellations to Blantyre over airport safety failings

South African national flag carrier South African Airways (SAA) announced on Tuesday that it was extending its cancellation of flights between Johannesburg and Blantyre, Malawi. The extension means that the flights to and from Blantyre scheduled for Wednesday January 23 have now been cancelled. Passengers can be re-routed, if they wish, on to SAA’s flights between Johannesburg and Lilongwe in Malawi. Lilongwe is Malawi’s capital and Blantyre is the country’s commercial centre. The two cities are about 360 km apart, by road, and are connected by domestic air flights, railway as well as by bus and car. SAA originally cancelled its Johannesburg-Blantyre flights for Saturday and Monday, as a result of the annual audit (carried out by the South African Civil Aviation Authority or SACAA) discovering serious safety non-compliance at the Malawian airport. Reportedly, serious failings included a lack of a reliable fire engine and ambulance (due to lack of maintenance) and an inadequate and vandalised perimeter fence.