A kulula.com passenger aircraft turned back to Johannesburg soon after taking off for Cape Town on Monday because of low oil pressure in an engine, Comair said.
Airline spokesperson Glenga Zvenyika said flight MN103, scheduled to depart just after noon, turned back to Johannesburg within 40 minutes after the captain received a ”technical alert”.
After experiencing low oil pressure on one of the MD82 aircraft’s two engines, as a precautionary measure the captain voluntarily shut down the engine.
Zvenyika said this was a normal safety-procedure measure.
All 127 passengers aboard were accommodated on other flights.
Head of flight operations Martin Louw said: ”The captain made the correct call to return to Johannesburg based on the maintenance support at our main base and handled the situation correctly.”
He apologised for knock-on delays on other kulula.com flights on Monday.
South African airlines’ Boeing 737-200s were inspected on Monday on order by the Civil Aviation Authority after an engine came off the wing of a Nationwide Boeing at Cape Town International Airport last week. — Sapa