Popular SA airline suspends flights to Lesotho ahead of festive season
According to the airline, Moshoeshoe I International Airport currently lacks safety equipment ‘in line with international civil aviation requirements’.
South Africa-based regional airline, Airlink, has temporarily halted flights between Johannesburg and the Lesotho capital, Maseru, owing to safety issues at the country’s largest airport.
On Wednesday evening, Airlink announced that “lack of serviceable fire and rescue equipment at Moshoeshoe I International Airport” was behind the suspension of daily flights between the two cities.
“Normal services will resume as soon as the airport operator has restored the regulated emergency response capability, in line with international civil aviation requirements for airports handling aircraft that are typically used for scheduled air services,” the airline said in a statement.
Not the first time for Maseru airport
This latest suspension of flights is nothing new to Moshoeshoe I International Airport.
In December last year, Airlink announced a similar temporary cessation of daily flights between Johannesburg and Maseru, for the exact same reason: “unavailability of fire and rescue services and equipment at Moshoeshoe I International Airport.”