● OPINION: The Legal Basis of the Court Application against FlySafair by Rob Baker.

In the interests of stirring more debate and offering a more broadly-based platform for the flow of information, ideas and opinions here on The African Aviation Tribune, I have introduced a new section to offer African aviation professionals, insiders, analysts and spectators a chance to voice their opinions, ideas and points of view on any subject pertaining to the field of Aviation in Africa.

■ SOUTH AFRICA: Comair, SkyWise launch legal bid to block FlySafair's launch.

Following through with its threats of legal action, Comair Ltd and now startup, SkyWise, have dragged the Air Services Licensing Council (ASLC) to court in a bid to block the launch of the Safair's nascent low cost subsidiary, FlySafair (FA), due to commence flights between Cape Town and Johannesburg later this year.

■ SOUTH AFRICA: Comair's bid to block FlySafair's launch rejected by the ASLC.

South Africa's latest LCC venture, FlySafair, has been tentatively cleared for operations after the South African Air Services Licensing Council (ASLC) reportedly rejected a complaint lodged by Comair Group Ltd claiming FlySafair's parent, Safair (FA), did not meet South Africa's strict 25% foreign-ownership cap.

■ SOUTH AFRICA: Comair Ltd moves to block FlySafair's launch on grounds of alien ownership.

South Africa's Comair Ltd has sought to reverse the recent issuance of a domestic operator's licence to Safair (FA) for its nascent startup LCC, FlySafair, claiming that it does not satisfy South African laws stipulating that domestic operators must be at least 75% owned by local South Africans. 

► SOUTH AFRICA: And suddenly a new LCC, FlySafair, appears aiming for a Q4 launch.

South Africa’s Air Service Licensing Council has given local ACMI & MRO specialists, Safair (FA), the go ahead for its LCC startup, FlySafair, to launch domestic operations in the last quarter of this year. Tickets for its planned Cape Town - Johannesburg (OR Tambo International) route are expected to go on sale in September.

■ SOUTH AFRICA: Comair Ltd forecasts 20% rise in earnings for this year as fastjet may face more launch obstacles.

South African aviation group, Comair Ltd, the parent company of both kulula.com (MN) and its British Airways-franchise, BA Comair, says it expects its headline earnings and earnings per share for the first nine months of the year to June 2013 to be over 20% higher than last year, but did not, however, quantify the extent of its results.

► SOUTH AFRICA: LCC SkyWise granted air service licence, aims for launch in H2 of this year.

Skywise, the nascent South African LCC run by former 1Time (T6) executives, was on Monday  its air service licence by the South African Air Services Licensing Council. The new airline is now in the process of  acquiring its AOC (air operator certificate) from the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) with Johannesburg - Cape town ops due to launch in H2 of this year.

■ SOUTH AFRICA: Skywise confirms launch delayed past 1 March as Comair memo on fastjet surfaces.

Corroborating our previous report, South African startup carrier Skywise, whose founders include ex-1Time honchos Rodney James and Glenn Orsmond, ex-1Time Chief Information Officer, Michael Kaminski, and Johan Borstlap, a former director at defunct domestic carrier Sun Air, have confirmed that they will not meet their target launch date of 1 March following the failure of their application for a domestic licence to the Air Services Licensing Council (ASLC) on 16 January.

■ SOUTH AFRICA: SAA, Mango, Comair all object to fastjet's 1Time licence transfer designs as Skywise's ASLC application fails.

In a rare show of unity, South African carriers Mango (JE), South African Airways (SA) and Comair Group (owners of BA Comair (BA) and Kulula (MN)) have collectively objected to the South African Air Services Licensing Council, a state regulator set to convene next month, over fastjet's (FN) proposed transfer of 1time’s operators licence, who are applying for a Ministerial exemption in order to fast track the process.