SAA given green light to resume Mauritius flights following tropical storm

SAA has announced that flights from Johannesburg to Mauritius will resume on Tuesday after airlines were given the green light despite unfavourable weather conditions still pounding the island.

Mauritius closed its only airport on Monday when the tropical storm Calvinia rocked parts of the region.  

🌀 Severe Tropical Storm Calvinia is still gaining strength.

Satellite imagery shows it tracking directly towards Mauritius.

Flights are grounded from Mauritius at present.

Current wind speeds at 92.6 km/h – 50 knots.#TropicalStorm #Calvinia #Cyclone pic.twitter.com/3H90ks2ews

— SA Weather🌩️sawx.co.za (@sawx_sa_weather) December 30, 2019

SAA flights on Tuesday 31 December:

 Johannesburg to Mauritius 

• SA190, 31 December from Johannesburg to Mauritius to operate as per normal schedule and will depart 9:45 (Johannesburg); and
• SA3192, an additional flight added from Johannesburg to Mauritius which will depart at 8:40 (Johannesburg).

 Mauritius to Johannesburg 

• SA191, 31 December from Mauritius to Johannesburg to operate as per normal schedule and will depart 16:40 (Mauritius); and
• SA3193, an additional flight added from Mauritius to Johannesburg which will depart at 15:35 (Mauritius). 

Additional flights to and from Mauritius

 “We have decided to add additional flights on Tuesday in order to accommodate as many passengers as possible who are affected by the cancellation on Monday,” said SAA spokesperson Tlali Tlali.

“We apologise to our customers for these cancellations, which were caused by circumstances beyond our control. The Mauritius Meteorology Services notified us that they have decided to close the airspace based on the severity of the weather conditions for airlines to operate in.”

Cyclone warning waived as Calvinia moves away

In a statement on Tuesday morning, the Mauritius Meteorological Services said the storm continued to intensify, but stressed that there was no cyclone warning in full force.

“During the last three hours, the severe tropical storm Calvinia has maintained its movement towards the south at 100km/h. On this trajectory, it is moving away from Mauritius and taking into consideration its small diameter, the risks of having cyclonic conditions over the island have considerably decreased. Therefore, the cyclone warning Class III has been waived for Mauritius,” it said.

“Weather will be cloudy to overcast with intermittent rain. The rains will be  moderate at times with thunderstorm. There will be water accumulation in certain regions. It is strictly advised not to venture along banks of flooded rivers and other water courses,” the statement further read.