GEORGE - The South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) has confirmed it has issued a formal notice that no aircraft over 5 700 kg will be allowed to land at George Airport when the runway is wet.

Colin Naidoo, Airports Company of South Africa (Acsa) spokesperson for George Airport said they supported the request and co-operated fully, despite results of tests conducted in December 2009 having been compliant with standards of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). "We even requested additional tests. Our passengers’ safety and their peace of mind are of utmost concern to Acsa," said Naidoo.

"Wet" is defined as when more than 25 percent of the runway surface appears reflective due to water or is covered with water, according to the civil aviation authorities.

The tests are being conducted after the most recent incident involving an Airlink flight from Cape Town which did not land on 10 February, but turned back although the landing gear had already been lowered.
This followed an incident in early December 2009 when an SA Airlink flight skidded off the runway, reportedly due to the friction between the tyres and the runway surface being insufficient for effective breaking.

The formal notice from the civil aviation authorities means that when the runway is wet as a consequence of rain, no commercial airline will be allowed to land at George and the airport will be closed until the runway dries.
Airlines en route to George will have to divert to an alternate airport or return to their airport of departure.

The SACAA has advised that this is a temporary restriction. Initial testing of the runway was undertaken on 15 February and will most likely be completed on Wednesday morning (yesterday).

Whilst the results of Monday’s tests are being reviewed by the CAA, the runway will be closed during rainy conditions.
Flights into and out of George Airport have not been affected thus far due to the mostly dry weather conditions.
Heidi Brauer, head of marketing at kulula.com, commented: "At Kulula, safety is our number one concern. So far water on the runway has not affected any Kulula flights or any other airlines that we know of.
"We are awaiting test results on the runway to be made public by the CAA which will hopefully be in the next few days. Currently if we do encounter an excessively wet surface during heavy rain, we will not be able to land," she said.
Phindiwe Gwebu, the CAA’s senior communications manager, said a final report is expected to be issued by the CAA this week which will remain in effect until the airport is again declared safe for ‘wet’ operations or Acsa is required to undertake any work on the runway.

Article: Anica Kruger