Air Traffic and Navigation Services (ATNS) says all major South African airports will have fully reinstated flight procedures by July 2026, with Polokwane and Richards Bay set to be back online by year-end.
Acting CEO, Matome Moholola, confirmed at a media briefing yesterday (October 29) that procedures at Richards Bay Airport will become effective on November 27, while Polokwane will be back online by December 25.
This follows several suspensions of instrument flight procedures (IFPs) across the country in recent months, including at Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport, which resumed full flight operations this week after the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) granted ATNS an exemption.
Staff shortages
Moholola attributed the delays primarily to staff shortages. “We have a shortage of flight procedure designers, not only in the country but globally,” he said, adding that ATNS currently has just two permanent designers on staff.
He said that retaining skilled staff remains a challenge. “We are unable to compete with the oil money in the UAE and with the dollar. Employees – given the scarcity of their skills – consider better offers elsewhere, despite our best attempts to retain them.”
Retaining and training staff
ATNS says it is ramping up training and recruitment to strengthen capacity, according to ATNS Chief Operating Officer, Josia Manyakoana.
“We recruit around 120 youngsters a year, but we are also looking at ways to increase that number. That gives us the capacity to move the air traffic controllers from the initial training level to the various technical areas that we require. We also use various agencies to test and recruit from the market and in some cases, we also use provincial governments or municipalities to assist us in identifying personnel,” said Manyakoana.
He added that ATNS sometimes re-employs former staff members and collaborates with the South African Air Force. “We have currently recruited 10 from the Air Force,” he said, noting that a Memorandum of Understanding is in place to support training initiatives.
