South Africa’s second-largest political party is urging a stronger response from the country’s transport ministry over weaknesses in air traffic control operations, and demanding the release of a report detailing safety and reliability concerns.
Transport minister Barbara Creecy recently ordered the “precautionary suspension” of Air Traffic and Navigation Services chief Nosipho Mdawe, and an investigation into fulfilment of duties.
But this has not satisfied the Democratic Alliance – part of a 10-member coalition government following last year’s general election – which describes the suspension as “nothing but an attempt to save face, rather than a genuine commitment to systemic reform”.
“Until the full report detailing all the flaws in ATNS is provided to Parliament, its oversight function is being severely undermined,” the party adds, insisting that Creecy cannot serve as “investigator, judge and jury”.
Creecy ordered the suspension as she provided an update on efforts to “stabilise and rebuild” ATNS on 12 March, three months after establishing a committee to investigate the root cause of safety and service-delivery issues.
The committee found “critical” staffing shortages within the air traffic services division, shortcomings in the reliability of communication, navigation and surveillance systems, and suspension of flight procedures over lapsed maintenance. Creecy says actions taken include accelerated recruitment of personnel and procurement for system upgrades.
Updating of instrument flight procedures, which have caused delays at a number of airports, is a particularly urgent concern.
Shortly before the committee was set up, Mdawe had admitted, at a stakeholder event in early December, that the procedures situation was causing “significant inconvenience”, and attributed it to several factors including “poaching” of procedure-design specialists and technical staff by other aviation companies.
Creecy says ATNS was tasked to maintain the procedures and ensure they were ready before an alternative means of compliance deadline expires in early April. But she acknowledges that meeting this deadline is “unlikely” and that the procedures will not be flight ready in time.
“Consequently, urgent steps are being taken to prioritise procedures for minimal impact at major airports,” she says, among them Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban and Port Elizabeth.
“Focus will be on accelerating contracts with international flight procedure designers and charting specialists. Other airports may face access impacts during poor visibility or bad weather.”
ATNS has issued several notifications on progress with procedural approvals at a number of airports over the last few months, as well as warnings of unavailable navigation aids at certain facilities during hazardous weather.
Regional carrier Airlink’s outgoing chief, Rodger Foster, criticised the situation during a farewell address on 14 March.
“Right now, we as airlines are still denied the use of almost 300 instrument flight procedures that were perfectly fine to use up until mid-July 2024,” he said, speaking at a Board of Airline Representatives of South Africa summit.
Foster says the air navigation service did not submit revalidation documents to the civil aviation regulator on time, and the result is “massive implications” for the country’s main airports when the April deadline on alternative compliance expires.
He says the prioritisation of remedies at the larger airports will “undoubtedly be to the detriment” of smaller ones.
While Creecy’s assurances are “encouraging”, he adds, “it is very much a case of closing the stable door now, after the horse has bolted”. The air navigation service was a “crisis waiting to happen”, Foster claims, and he insists forward planning is vital to ensure that “we do not crash head-first” into a recurring situation every couple of years.
The Democratic Alliance says the state of South Africa’s aviation infrastructure is “dismal”, adding that the weaknesses are “not just inconveniences” but “pose an existential threat” to tourism and investment.
“We want a thorough investigation and responsibility from all parties involved,” says the party’s transport spokesman, Chris Hunsinger, adding that it will formally request from the transport portfolio committee that Creecy appear to explain the situation.
