The aircraft landed safely in Gqeberha at 4.35pm.
Just under an hour later the airline said FA 143 had been cleared for take-off and was departing for Cape Town.
“We would like to extend our apologies to the customers on board FA 143 for the inconvenience, and we thank them for their patience in allowing us to always act conservatively in the interest of safety,” the airline said.
Airline safety has been in the spotlight recently after the SA Civil Aviation Authority temporarily withdrew Comair’s operating licence due to concerns about its safety management systems in the wake of three “significant” failures on flights.
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