On May 1st, South African regional carrier SA Express was temporarily grounded by the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) due to a number of safety and non-compliance concerns. Following a series of inspections and audits carried out by the SACAA, SA Express’ safety monitoring system was reportedly found to be inadequate. This prompted the subsequent suspension of the airline’s Air Operators Certificate (AOC). Despite this, the AOC was reinstated on the 3rd of May after the SACCA acknowledged that the airline had implemented a satisfactory action plan to rectify the concerns raised.

The Indonesian Ministry of Transport (MOT) has announced plans to suspend the in-house ground handling operations of both Indonesia Air Asia and Lion Air. The MOT cited that the airlines’ ground handler breached operational protocols and procedures on numerous occasions. There have reportedly been a number of instances where international flight aircraft were marshalled into domestic terminals, which did not have the infrastructure or capacity to handle the immigration and security check requirements. The airlines were subsequently granted a week to organise a replacement ground handler before a formal investigation is launched.

An EgyptAir Airbus A320-200 (Reg. SU-GCC), performing flight MS804 from Paris's Charles de Gaulle Airport (France) to Cairo International Airport (Egypt) with 56 passengers and 10 crew on board, was transiting over the Mediterranean Sea when radar and Air Traffic Control contact with the aircraft was lost. Flight tracking data shows the aircraft was cruising at an altitude of 37,000 feet, when transponder and radar contact ceased. The Egyptian and Greek authorities subsequently launched a search and rescue mission. On May 20th, debris and wreckage was discovered in the Mediterranean Sea and all 66 occupants on board were found to have been fatally injured. The French Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for civil aviation safety (BEA), in conjunction with the Egyptian Civil Aviation Authority (ECCA) have launched an investigation.