Thousands of flights have been serially delayed or cancelled in South Africa as a result of a crisis at Air Traffic & Navigation Services (ATNS), according to Daily Maverick.
ATNS, a state-owned enterprise established in 1993 and responsible for directing air traffic in South Africa, blames adverse weather conditions for flight chaos.
Airports like the one at George are no longer an alternative landing destination because they lack critical air traffic control staff and navigation systems.
Incidents caused by staff incapacity and failures of traffic navigation systems have occurred at King Phalo, OR Tambo, King Shaka and Cape Town.
Aviation industry players have laid the blame on ATNS-controlled planes and flight schedules from take-off to landing.
ATNS does not receive bailouts; it mainly generates money from air traffic tariffs that it charges airlines.
Over the past decade, ATNS has lost qualified air traffic controllers, radar controllers and instrument flight procedure designers.
The workforce has been reduced from over 900 in 2012 to 646 in 2023, while air travel demand among consumers has increased by 4.5% annually.
United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Australia and the UK are targeting skilled professionals from South Africa with attractive remuneration and benefits packages. Others have left ATNS due to low morale, poor career paths and a lack of opportunities.
On 27 November, ATNS reported that it was losing another 10 air traffic controllers.
Busy airports need a17% increase in ATNS staff to perform optimally and reduce disruptions.
ATNS cannot now comply with, inter alia, designing hundreds of instrument flight procedures (IFPs) at airports that must be regularly updated and submitted to the South African Civil Aviation Authority. These are sets of instructions or guidelines used to navigate and control aircraft, especially where visibility is limited.
On 19 July ATNS was forced to withdraw about 326 IFPs after failing to file paperwork for mandatory regular review. Consequently, hundreds of flight procedures were suspended across airports – “a rookie error”.
IFPs must be reviewed every five years. However, ATNS has not conducted some reviews for up to 12 years. It has not acknowledged the crisis or admitted that flight safety standards have been compromised.
ATNS’s problems can harm the financial situation of ACSA, which generates money without relying on bailouts, is self-funded and profitable, and pays dividends to the government.
Disruptions are likely to affect ACSA’s ability to maintain slot schedules at airports and allocate aircraft parking bays and boarding gates. This threatens its financial situation and sustainability.
FlySafair, which has a proud record of on-time departures since it started operating in 2014, experienced delays of 14% and 13% in 2021 and 2022 respectively. Year-to-date in 2024, it’s 24%.
Diversions to other airports because of landing problems and the withdrawal of IFPs result in longer flight routes that consume fuel.
Airlines cannot claim damages from ATNS yet must still pay its tariffs. ATNS wants to increase its tariffs for the next five years.
ATNS could also undermine the courier industry, farming, e-commerce and healthcare.
[Photo: FL0R1AN for Pixabay]