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ILS? What ILS?

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Dear MyPE

The Democratic Alliance (DA) calls for the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) management to be immediately suspended and investigated for severe negligence.

This comes after we have learned that the precision runway approach aid equipment that assists with the landing of aeroplanes has been turned off at various South African airports since 10 August 2020.

This severely dangerous state of affairs is due to the failure of the SACAA to take action when the equipment reached their calibrations expiry date, 25 days extension, and 180 days exemption.

The Instrument Landing System (ILS) has two radio beams that provide pilots with both vertical and horizontal guidance during an approach to land and is of critical importance especially in bad weather and when sight is compromised.

According to our information, King Shaka International Airport, George Airport and Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport (KMI) have already “lost” its ILS and VHF (omnidirectional radio range) capability, with the other airports to follow soon. Cape Town International Airport and OR Tambo International Airport have been downgraded due to calibration exemptions.

SACAA was supposed to replace the calibration service after an unfortunate crash and loss of the SACAA Flight Inspection Unit (FIU) in January this year.

I warned of the consequences of not replacing the calibration service and the implications of downgrading the King Shaka International Airport as early as 21 July 2020 during my Transport Budget Vote Speech in Parliament.

Had SACAA, the Department of Transport and Minister of Transport Fikile Mbalula taken immediate action, the aviation industry would not be in this disastrous situation.

This blatant ignorance puts the lives of passengers, staff, assets and the country’s reputation in jeopardy. It could also affect domestic and international travel, potentially bringing further setback to the already desperate and fragile tourism sector.

Covid-19 cannot be used as an excuse for this blatant negligence on the part of the SACAA. The United Arab Emirates (UAE), for example, does not have a calibration aircraft. The owners of the navigation equipment contracted a company to perform the calibration service during lockdown while keeping the crew and in isolation.

By the end of the 14 days quarantine they had calibrated all the navigation aids and could depart.

In South Africa, SACAA seems to play by a different set of rules and shows little regard for safety and international compliance.

This might cause irreparable damage to South Africa’s aviation reputation and is a violation of the Convention on International Civil Aviation, commonly known as the Chicago Convention, to ensure the safety of navigational aids at international airports, which we as a member of the International Civil Aviation Organisation International (ICAO) must strictly adhere to.

Each contracting state is compelled to provide airports, radio services, meteorological services and other air navigation facilities to facilitate international air navigation, in accordance with the standards and recommended practices (SARPs) in its territory.

SACAA’s negligence is an embarrassment, and a failure of its responsibility to ensure safe, efficient and effective air navigation which is highly reliant on the precision of the navigational aids.

The function of flight calibration is essential to the safety of air navigation. This cannot be allowed to be compromised and this situation has already caused unnecessary reputational damage to more than half a century of successful flight inspection of ground radio navigational aids in South Africa.

The safety of the flying public and the international aviation community is of paramount importance to South Africa and cannot be compromised – nor can Covid-19 be offered as excuse for ignoring safety standards like these.

Regards

Chris Hunsinger MP
DA Shadow Minister of Transport

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This author is a 'catch-all' for occasional articles and letters written to MyPE. The Author of each article can be found in the signature at the bottom of each individual article.