Nationwide aims to have full Gatwick to Johannesburg service back soon

Troubled South African airline Nationwide is hoping to have a full schedule of flights up and running by the end of the week.

The airline was forced to ground its fleet on November 29, which meant its four times a week service between Gatwick and Johannesburg was suspended, but late last week the South African Civil Aviation Authority gave the airline to go ahead to resume flights.

Nationwide was able to operate a limited service between the UK and South Africa over the weekend, as well as return to the skies on a number of domestic routes, but it hopes to return to normal service very soon.

In a statement Nationwide said: "We apologise to our customers for any inconvenience and confusion that has been experienced due to the disruption in air service, particularly at this busy time of year. We are working diligently to resolve these issues in order to resume our normal services.

"By the end of this week, we anticipate the resumption of service on all routes in our network. We will have a schedule of aircraft for release to service and will then be able to publish the exact flight schedule. We anticipate that such a schedule will be available tomorrow (Tuesday, December 11)."

Nationwide has stressed that passengers who were not able to travel due to the temporary suspension of service are entitled to a full refund and has provided a form and instructions for such refunds.

© Cheapflights Ltd Craig McGinty