Pilots are working with a tighter margin of risk as a result of the crisis at the state-run Air Traffic and Navigation Services, experts say.
A review of ATNS was commissioned by transport minister Barbara Creecy after almost 300 instrument flight procedures were suspended last year. This was a result of a lack of maintenance and a failure to submit the relevant paperwork to the South African Civil Aviation Authority for approval. The upshot of this are flight disruptions, especially at smaller airports where pilots cannot land in bad weather.
The panel found a severe shortage of technical staff, gaps in safety practices, and communication, navigation and surveillance systems that “are not as reliable as they should be”, Creecy told a news briefing a week ago.
Interventions were being made to address the challenges, she said, notably that the recruitment of air traffic service staff, flight procedure designers, surveyors, technical support staff, engineers and training instructors would be accelerated. However, implementation of this process would take 18 months to three years.
“We are not saying it has become unsafe, but we are saying the margins for safety have been narrowed and it is a lot less comfortable than what most operators would otherwise be happy with,” Linden Birns, MD at Plane Talking, told TimesLIVE Premium.
There are real reasons things are done in a particular way and why there are instrument flight procedures and flight rules, he said.
Here we have a system that has now slipped into failure mode having had almost all its massively and expensive procedures disallowed or unapproved. So there's a significant lowering of safety standards.
— Guy Leitch, SA Flyer magazine publisher and editor
“It is not something that you want to trifle with. You've got the safety consideration, and you've got the operational consideration which speaks about how airlines and airports maintain their schedules, and how they stay efficient and not end up with long queues and flights being delayed.”
SA Flyer magazine publisher and editor Guy Leitch said while air transport remains a safe mode of transport, in South Africa the system has degraded.
“Here we have a system that has now slipped into failure mode having had almost all its massively and expensive procedures disallowed or unapproved. So there's a significant lowering of safety standards.”
He described the procedures that enable the aircraft to safely land or take off as “road maps in the sky”.
“By following these procedures, pilots can avoid risk or know that they are guaranteed to stay away from the ground, so they're not going to fly into a mountain. It is these procedures which ATNS has failed to maintain.”
He said last year the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) blew the whistle and suspended 326 instrument flight procedures because ATNS failed to file regulatory reviews on time.
He said once every five years, ATNS has to check that there are no obstacles that have appeared , like “for argument's sake, cellphone towers or high masts that have changed the altitudes that are relevant to the procedures”.
“ATNS quite simply failed to do this.”
He said these procedures rely on electronic aids which can cost billions of rand.
He said an instrument landing system enables an aircraft to find its way down through solid cloud where you can see absolutely nothing, break out of the cloud, get about 60 metres above the ground and position itself for landing on a runway directly ahead.
“Those instrument landing systems cost a huge amount of money, they need to be continuously approved to be checked for safety purposes,” he said.
If an instrument landing system is not available, the pilots would have to use an alternative approach mechanism, called a “non-precision approach”.
Leitch said this might mean the aircraft cannot use the airport if the cloud is lower than 305 metres above ground.
“What then often happens is that — and George airport is a good example — if they approach the runway from the east, they can use the instrument landing system there, and they can break out of the cloud at about 200-300 feet [60-90 metres], then they can do what is called a circle to land approach. They scud run beneath the cloud, trying to avoid the landscape below, staying beneath the cloud and flying around to the other side of the airport, looking with sight of the ground, and then try to land from that side. And that's what's been happening.”
He said while not inherently an unsafe approach, it is riskier than the instrument landing system that is there “but is simply not approved for use”.
“So we're seeing an increasing level of risk in this.
“When we buy an airline ticket and board an aircraft, we are putting our lives in the hands of the system. You're believing and trusting that the system is doing its best to make sure it's safe.”
Outgoing Airlink CEO and MD Rodger Foster put it bluntly in an address to the Board of Airline Representatives of South Africa recently:
“ATNS has created a serious safety risk,” Business Day quoted him as saying. “Instrument flight procedures are fundamental to operational safety. And in case anyone’s forgotten, airlines must still pay statutory charges for those services — with regulated tariff increases of up to 24% — even though they are being denied to us.”
Foster also explained the extent of the problem, according to Engineering News. “All airlines operating in South Africa had invested in modern airliners, fitted with the latest-technology flight and navigation management systems. They had also, through the fees they paid to ATNS, invested in ground-based safety systems, including instrument landing systems, which allowed aircraft to operate safely in all weather conditions. But when instrument flight procedures are withdrawn, we are prohibited from using those operational safety aids and equipment. By withdrawing the instrument flight procedures, pilots are obliged to operate aircraft with far narrower margins than any of us would like.”
FlySafair said like other airlines, they have been significantly affected by the suspension of certain flight procedures, particularly at King Phalo Airport (East London), Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport (Gqeberha) and George Airport.
Responding to questions from TimesLIVE Premium to explain it to the average passenger, FlySafair said the suspensions meant under specific weather conditions, their aircraft are unable to land, leading to unavoidable delays and cancellations. Most recently, on Friday March 14, six flights were cancelled and 10 were delayed due to constraints at George Airport.
At Johannesburg's OR Tambo International Airport, the challenge is different but equally disruptive — staff shortages in air traffic control limit the number of arrival and departure slots available, creating bottlenecks in operations.
“These restrictions affect scheduling, result in delays and impact passengers' travel plans,” said Maryke Pienaar from FlySafair.
It said its primary focus remains on passenger safety, and all decisions regarding flight operations are made with this in mind.
“Airlines, including FlySafair, are working closely with ATNS and SACAA to monitor and mitigate disruptions.”
There's a shortfall of air traffic controllers around the world. The rest of the world is prepared to pay a huge premium for air traffic controllers, but here in South Africa, we're paying well below the going rate.
— Guy Leitch, SA Flyer magazine publisher and editor
The airline continuously assesses weather patterns and operational restrictions to adjust schedules accordingly, minimising the risk of last-minute cancellations. If conditions prevent a landing at the intended airport, they divert flights to the nearest suitable airport with available procedures.
“Where possible, we adjust aircraft rotations to accommodate disruptions while minimising knock-on effects on other flights,” said Pienaar.
For pilots, the suspension of flight procedures means they must operate within stricter limitations, reducing flexibility in adverse weather conditions.
While they are highly trained to manage various scenarios, the lack of approved procedures at certain airports means even if conditions might technically allow for a safe landing, they are not permitted to do so.
“This adds an operational challenge that pilots must work around, often resulting in diversions or extended holding patterns,” Pienaar said.
Staffing shortages in air traffic control at times means pilots can experience longer wait times for clearances, both for take-off and landing. That in turn increases fuel consumption and creates scheduling delays, requiring constant co-ordination between pilots, air traffic controllers and airline operations teams.
Pienaar offered reassurance to passengers: “The procedural suspensions are a direct result of stringent safety regulations, ensuring that flights operate only under approved conditions. While this does lead to disruptions, it also guarantees that operations continue to meet the highest safety standards.”
Creecy, who ordered the ATNS board to place its CEO Nozipho Mdawe on precautionary suspension pending the outcome of an investigation by an independent law firm on whether she fulfilled her duties and responsibilities, said a safety action group has been established and is meeting weekly.
A training pipeline was being re-established for ATNS, she added.
Leitch said air traffic navigation requires bulletproof first-world standards and the skills are in huge demand internationally.
“There's a shortfall of air traffic controllers around the world. The rest of the world is prepared to pay a huge premium for air traffic controllers, but here in South Africa, we're paying well below the going rate,” he said.
On when the instrument flight procedures problem will be resolved, Creecy said they needed more time.
“The current alternative means of compliance at key airports will expire in early April. ATNS was required to maintain these procedures and ensure they are flight-ready before this expiry date. These procedures are crucial for efficient airport access in all weather conditions.” However, “it is unlikely that these flight procedures will be flight-ready [by then]. Consequently, urgent steps are being taken to prioritise procedures for minimal impact at major airports.
“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. These procedures will be maintained after completing work at the key airports with domestic and international scheduled operations.”
