Catering companies have warned of further devastation and job losses in South Africa’s aviation industry because the government continues to prohibit airlines from providing in-flight meals to passengers travelling domestically — even though lockdown regulations have been substantially eased.
In other words, airlines have been left to comply with regulations for “an adjusted Level 3”, which prohibits airlines from serving meals to passengers if they fly domestically. Only bottled water can be on the menu. Passengers can be served chicken or beef and other meals if they are flying to regional or international destinations.
“It is devastating because Food Directions survived lockdown levels four, three and two. It was finally looking to invest, grow and sign with international airlines. Food Directions will now need to retrench a lot of people,” Orsmond toldSiyathemba Inflight Catering, a company that supplies meals to regional airline Airlink, has recently cut the working hours of its 80 staff by 30% to avert the worst-case scenario of job losses, said its MD Sonette Joubert.
More puzzling to Siyathemba’s Joubert and Comair’s Orsmond is that the government allowed airlines to serve pre-packaged meals on domestic flights when SA’s aviation industry reopened in July 2020 after the hard lockdown eased. At the time, SA moved to advanced Level 3. This was three days before President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the country’s move to Level 1. The gazette on aviation catering services for a Level 3 lockdown was published on the government’s website on 1 March 2021 — the same day SA moved to a Level 1 lockdown.Business Maverick
Poppy Khoza, Sacaa director of civil aviation, said Mbalula is yet to publish a gazette that is in line with Level 1 lockdown regulations, a process which “is far advanced and a pronouncement on it is expected any time this week”.Khoza believes the ban might stay in place even if the gazette is amended to reflect a Level 1 lockdown.