South Africa’s Plan to Solve Air Traffic Controller Crisis
ATNS outlines urgent measures to fix air traffic controller shortages and procedural failures in South Africa, aiming to improve flight safety and reduce operational disruptions.
Phoot Source: Travel Weekly
South Africa’s aviation sector is tackling a critical shortage of air traffic controllers and failures in flight instrument procedures, which have led to flight delays and operational challenges. The Air Traffic Navigation Services (ATNS) has detailed extensive interventions to mitigate these issues, which were exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, early retirements, and personnel moving to higher-paying roles overseas.
The consequences of this shortage include enforced flow control causing increased airline costs, disruptions due to inclement weather, and over 3,900 flight delays in under three months for one airline alone. Additionally, ATNS was forced to withdraw 300 instrument procedures due to incomplete mandatory reviews.
To counter these challenges, ATNS has initiated a comprehensive turnaround plan approved by Transport Minister Barbara Creecy. Measures include biweekly meetings with key stakeholders, hiring five external contractors, and expanding training efforts. By March 2025, five trainees are expected to bolster the existing team of procedure design specialists. ATNS aims to submit all critical instrument procedure reviews by late November 2024 and is enhancing its retention strategy to prevent experienced staff from moving to markets like Australia and the Middle East.
ATNS has also increased the annual intake of bursary students and is reconnecting with former employees to encourage their return. Partnerships with global service providers have been proposed to alleviate talent loss and secure a steady flow of skilled personnel.
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