Permits hold back Khuphuka launch

The Durban-based air
cargo carrier, Khuphuka
Kings Airways (KKA), has
postponed the launch of its
weekly service connecting
SA-Middle East-India –
intended to have started this
week.
Marketing director Sihle
Bam told FTW the airline
was still battling to get a
permit from the SA Civil
Aviation Authority (CAA) and
from the authorities in India.
The local permit, he
added, was being hindered
by recent changes to the
compliance regulations
related to foreign operators
(the aircraft and crew they
intend using will be leased
from an overseas source).
“It therefore takes at least
a 21-day period for the CAA
to conduct a review for a
foreign operator’s permit,”
said Bam. “This, along with
other new rules we have to
navigate around, means
our intended service will be
delayed for a month or two.”
The Boeing 747-200
freighter he said the airline
was to use a on the route
was capable of carrying 110
tonnes per f light.
And Khuphuka intends to
be able to offer this capacity
on weekly f lights, on an
airport rotation of Durban-
Dubai-Bombay-Durban.
Questioned about the
airline’s Durban-DRC cargo
service due to operate two
Ilyushin 76 planes with
a carrying capacity of 46
tonnes each and to be
launched in August last
year, Bam had a sad tale to
tell.
“After all our publicity
for this f light, we found
ourselves in a difficult spot,”
he told FTW, “with our
main investor not coming
in, and not transferring the
funding as he’d agreed.”
So KKA had to look
for new routes, and this
latest one showed the best
promise, he added.
But Khuphuka does not
intend to blow its trumpets
too loudly before the f light
becomes a regular run.
“So,” said Bam, “we intend
to be very discreet about our
first one or two f lights, and
will then go public.”