GEORGE NEWS - George Airport is one of the airports whose instrument flight procedures maintenance is to be prioritised along with the big international airports OR Tambo, Cape Town, Dawid Stuurman and King Shaka.
Transport Minister Barbara Creecy announced in a statement last week that the current alternative means of compliance (Amoc) for flight procedures at key airports will expire on 10 April.
She said it is unlikely that these procedures will be ready before April, therefore urgent steps are being taken to prioritise procedures for minimal impact at major airports, including George.
Hundreds of passengers were again inconvenienced last week when some 10 flights to and from George Airport were diverted or delayed..
The South African Civil Aviation Authority (Sacaa) issued an Amoc only last year with regard to flight procedures following an audit two years ago that revealed that flight procedures at South African airports were all out of date. They need to be revised five-yearly, which the Air Traffic Navigation Services (ATNS) had failed to do.
Maintenance of the flight procedures is crucial for landings and departures in all weather conditions.
One of the two runways at George Airport is still suspended and cannot be used when the wind blows from a certain direction or visibility is poor.
Shortage of skilled staff
A critical staff shortage caused by an exodus of highly skilled people, including those who would be developing flight procedures and charts for the flight procedures, was identified as one of the factors contributing to ATNS' failure. The same applies to instructors in the Aviation Training Academy.
Creecy said a pipeline of scarce skills had not been kept up and it is now not robust enough to deal with the "scale of the appetite internationally" caused by a resurgence of the aviation industry post Covid.
Big airports across the world want skilled South African personnel because of their airline safety record and excellent training.
International specialists
There is now a focus on accelerating employment contracts with international flight procedure designers and charting specialists.
ATNS Cairperson Zola Majalu said they are paying a premium to get staff back that were "poached" by, among others, Australia, Qatar and the UAE. It will not be till November before newly appointed staff will actually start to work. "... Because they are very senior, they have to give notice with their current employers. Then they have to sit an exam and then there is the validation period or on-the-job training. So they will be working in the system from August, but will not be working independently."
Minister Barbara Creecy during a press conference on Monday 13 March.
Other factors
According to Creecy, other factors that exacerbate the crisis are communication equipment that needs urgent repair. She said an upgrade, focused on communication, navigation and surveillance (CNS) systems, is already underway.
"Original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) have been engaged and procurement processes are underway to upgrade the national air traffic management system, arrivals manager, and the air traffic flow management system. Progress has also been made with datalink implementation to support ground-to-air communication."
There are also systematic weaknesses in the safety management system and recurrent findings in audits in inspections that had not been addressed timeously.
ATNS CEO suspended
Creecy ordered the precautionary suspension of ATNS CEO Nosipho Mdawe and an independent investigation into her conduct pertaining to the fulfilment of her duties.
ATNS CFO Matome Moholola is to be appointed as acting CEO.
Creecy said the findings of the experts (that she had appointed in December to investigate ATNS’ failures), reveal "several grave and material issues within the ATNS and the country's air traffic navigation services. However, since the commencement of this investigation, a number of other urgent interventions have been identified as critical for ATNS's continued operations and we are beginning to notice progress."
George Airport wins award
Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) earlier this week announced that two of its airports were honoured at the 2024 Airport Service Quality (ASQ) Experience Awards.
George Airport and Bram Fischer International Airport both placed first in the Best Airports by Size and Region category. Both are award winning airports with under two million passengers per year in Africa. George Airport also won a Special Category Award for Easiest Airport Journey in Africa. The awards are determined via passenger feedback.
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