The Bitou Municipality has issued domestic carrier, CemAir, a termination notice for the use of Plettenberg Bay Airport. The Municipality has given the airline 30 days to terminate its services to and from the airport.

The Municipality’s letter provides no reason for the termination, however, its media statement states that CemAir “failed to honour an agreement with the Municipality”. According to Miles van der Molen, ceo of CemAir, the airline has made several requests to the Municipality to provide a copy of this agreement, but nothing has been produced.

Miles says CemAir’s Plettenberg Bay services would have only been sustainable in a structured environment with clearly defined responsibilities and that CemAir in fact proposed an agreement to the Municipality with these elements at its core.

He says it is disappointing that the Municipality has failed to recognise the vast contribution that CemAir has made to the Plettenberg Bay community. “The rash decision to terminate overnight what has taken so long to develop can neither be justified nor defended. If the Municipality had honoured its undertakings to continue with negotiations and reach an agreement, this situation would not exist.” He adds that the Municipality has chosen a path that is neither beneficial nor considered and that will ultimately result in loss and inconvenience to the very people it is charged to serve.

Looking forward, Miles says CemAir remains committed to developing its domestic schedule network. “We thank the Plettenberg Bay community for the support, and in particular, thank our travellers. Plettenberg Bay will forever have a special place in our hearts.”