The Airports Company South Africa (Acsa) has praised the pilot and crew aboard a FlySafair flight following an emergency landing at the OR Tambo International Airport on Sunday.
Flight FA212, from Johannesburg to Cape Town, had to turn back due to a technical problem.
"The plane, bound for Cape Town, reportedly suffered damage to one of its rear tyres during take-off. This was spotted by ground staff at OR Tambo and the flight crew was alerted. The decision was made to return to Johannesburg," Acsa said in a statement.
Acsa added that despite the damaged tyre, the plane managed to make a smooth landing with no injuries reported.
LIVE: #FlySafair flight FA212 lost a wheel on take-off from Johannesburg Int Airport (FAOR) for a flight to Cape TOWN (FACT).
Return to airport and landing now.#SouthAfrica pic.twitter.com/mBM0UsXLIm
"We would like to praise the FlySafair pilots and crew for their professional handling of this emergency. Their training and experience ensure that all passengers on board the plan walked away unscathed, said Acsa regional general manager, Jabulani Khambule.
One of the runways at OR Tambo was closed, leading to flight delays for other passengers.
Video released by #FlySafair pic.twitter.com/95qClbvwBZ
Praise for pilot and crew
@VkTy9: “I'm inside the plane everything is fine, the pilots handled it very well, well done to them.”
— Vk Ty (@VkTy9) April 21, 2024
Romeo Nkoulou Ella: “We’ve landed safely back to Johannesburg. The pilot and the entire FlySafair crew did an amazing job at keeping everyone calm and safe. Now waiting to disembark.”
Michael Callow: “The pilots and cabin crew are amazing. They should be recognised for all their hard work and dedication. Well done flight crew. All flight deck and cabin crew deserve cash bonuses. They are the true face of FlySafair.”
Two years ago, the low cost airline launched an investigation after two flights were diverted.
In a statement on its side, FlySafair said on both occasions, the same aircraft operating flight FA143 departed King Phalo Airport in East London for Cape Town International Airport and had to be diverted to Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport in Gqeberha.
During both flights, the captain was alerted to an indication error from a small component on the wing after departure and followed safety protocol by landing in Gqeberha rather than continuing onto Cape Town.
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