In moves aimed at improving Africa's poor safety record, South Africa's Department for Transport (DoT) is pushing ahead with regional communications infrastructure upgrades and establishing a Civil Aviation Safety Agency.
Under its VSAT satellite based communications initiative, the DoT intends to replace land-line based air traffic service units.
The VSAT, says the DoT, has "-been installed in five states - Angola, Botswana, Malawi, South Africa and Zambia - and will be installed in the remaining 12 nations of the Southern African Development Community". These include Lesotho, Mauritius, Namibia, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.
The DoT is due to establish the new Civil Aviation Safety Agency by October.
Source: Flight International
