CemAir

CemAir
IATA ICAO Call sign
5Z KEM CEMAIR
Founded2005; 21 years ago (2005)
HubsO. R. Tambo International Airport
Secondary hubsCape Town International Airport
Focus citiesJohannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa
SkyRewards
Fleet size35+ (2026)
Destinations15, across South Africa, Botswana, and Zimbabwe (2026)
HeadquartersKempton Park, Gauteng, South Africa
Key peopleMiles van der Molen (CEO)
Websitecemair.co.za

CemAir is a South African airline headquartered in Johannesburg. Founded in 2005, the airline operates scheduled domestic flights across South Africa as well as regional services within Africa.

CemAir’s network includes key business and leisure destinations, and the airline is known for serving several smaller or underserved airports. As of September 2026, CemAir flies to 15 destinations, including 11 in South Africa, 2 in Botswana, and 2 in Zimbabwe.

In addition to its scheduled operations, CemAir provides aircraft leasing, charter services, and ACMI (Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance, and Insurance) solutions to other carriers.

The airline operates a fleet of over 35 aircraft that includes Bombardier CRJ, Beechcraft 1900, and De Havilland Dash 8 models, offering full-service amenities such as checked baggage and onboard catering. Over the years, CemAir has expanded its route network and service offering, positioning itself as a growing independent carrier in the Southern African and kenya aviation market.

History

The company was formed in 2005 with the purpose of operating turboprop commuter aircraft, with the initial fleet consisting of 1 Cessna Grand Caravan aircraft and 3 Beechcraft 1900C aircraft.

In January 2018, the South African Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) withdrew the Certificate of Airworthiness for 12 of CemAir's aircraft, due to allegedly unqualified personnel certifying the aircraft as airworthy. It was subsequently forced by the authorities to suspend operations in late 2018.

The airline successfully launched a High Court challenge, and the grounding was overturned. The CAA then again grounded the Airline in January 2019 and CemAir challenged the decision before the Civil Aviation Appeal Committee. On 29 April 2019, the CAAC issued a judgement in favour of the airline, calling the CAA's actions "irrational, arbitrary, unreasonable and procedurally unfair" and "factually wrong."

In January 2021, CemAir signed an interline agreement with Ethiopian Airlines.

CemAir now has interline agreements with Emirates, British Airways, Qatar Airways, Turkish Airlines, Air France, KLM, Egypt Air, Proflight, LAM, Kenya Airways and Air Europa.

CemAir has a codeshare agreement with South African Airways.

Operations

CemAir's hub in Johannesburg features a 1,800 sqm hangar, offices, and a 2,000 sqm private apron, for managing flight operations, maintenance (performed in-house), and administration.

Destinations

Charter operations

Based at OR Tambo International Airport, South Africa, a significant portion of the fleet is deployed outside the country, including in the Caribbean and West Africa. [citation needed]

Scheduled destinations

Most (10) of CemAir's 15 destinations are in South Africa, with 4 of them located elsewhere in Southern Africa. As of September 2026, CemAir operates flights to the following destinations:

Domestic (South Africa)

International

Fleet

CemAir Beechcraft 1900D
CemAir Bombardier CRJ200

As of September 2026, CemAir operates the following aircraft:

Aircraft In fleet Orders Passengers Notes
Beechcraft 1900D 5 — 19
Bombardier CRJ100/CRJ200 11 — 50
Bombardier CRJ700 3 — 70
Bombardier CRJ900 9 — 90
De Havilland Canada Dash 8-100 1 — 37
De Havilland Canada Dash 8 Q300 3 — 50
De Havilland Canada Dash 8 Q400 4 — 78
Total 36 —

Accidents and incidents

CemAir suffered two hull losses in 2008 with aircraft leased out to 3rd parties, one in South Sudan and the other in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

References

  1. ↑ "CemAir - SkyRewards". CemAir. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
  2. 1 2 "CemAir - About Us". CemAir. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 "CemAir - Destinations". CemAir. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
  4. ↑ https://za.linkedin.com/in/miles-van-der-molen-b6076a38?trk=pub-pbmap[permanent dead link]
  5. ↑ "CemAir Homepage". CemAir. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
  6. ↑ "Kenya Airways, CemAir Team To Strengthen African Air Links | Aviation Week Network". aviationweek.com. Retrieved 16 April 2026.
  7. 1 2 "CemAir grounded over safety concerns". Independent Online.
  8. ↑ "Judgement" (PDF).
  9. ↑ "CemAir flights still grounded after failed court bid". Fin24.
  10. ↑ Mkentane, Luyolo (13 May 2019). "CAA's 'irrational' decision to ground CemAir is overturned". BusinessLIVE. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
  11. ↑ "Ethiopian Airlines – oft cited as a possible SAA saviour – just did a local deal".
  12. ↑ "Global Airline Guide 2025 - CemAir". Airliner World. September 2025. p. 74.
  13. ↑ "South Sudan declares three-day mourning for crash victims" Sudan Tribune 3 May 2008
  14. ↑ "'No survivors' in DR Congo crash" BBC News 2 September 2008
  15. ↑ Joe Bavier "Aid plane crashes in Congo, no sign of survivors" Reuters 2 September 2008
  16. ↑ Air Serv press release Archived 2008-09-04 at the Wayback Machine
  17. ↑ "Discussion about airplane crashed in Congo". 2 September 2008. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
  18. ↑ "Aid plane with 17 on board crashes in eastern DR Congo" United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), 2 September 2008
  19. ↑ "RDC: Un avion humanitaire de l'ONU avec 17 personnes à bord s'écrase dans l'est" (in French) United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), 2 September 2008
  20. ↑ "Crash d’avion près de Bukavu, 17 morts" (in French) Radio Okapi, 2 September 2008
  21. ↑ "SA pilot killed in DRC crash" Archived 2008-09-08 at the Wayback Machine News24 2 September 2008
  22. ↑ "Crash au Kivu: les secours n'ont pas encore pu atteindre l'épave, selon l'ONU" (in French) 3 September 2008 Archived September 6, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  23. ↑ "ASN Aircraft accident Beechcraft 1900C-1 ZS-OLD Bukavu-Kavumu Airport (BKY)".

Wikimedia Commons logo Media related to CemAir at Wikimedia Commons