SA aviation flies out front in safety stakes — but drone rules still grate
Drone industry says safety regulations are onerous and hold back development of the sector in SA
SA’s aviation industry is the safest in Africa, the latest audit by the International Civil Aviation Organisation has shown. The audit did not include unmanned aircraft despite a significant growth in the number of these craft in the global airspace. The fear is that, if not properly controlled, the unmanned craft could pose a collision risk as global safety standards are still to be developed. The South African Civil Aviation Authority said it had improved its safety record despite the introduction of more stringent global standards. The authority said it would have still performed well in the audit even if the unmanned aircraft had been factored in. SA is one of the first countries in the world to have regulated the operation of drones and licensing of pilots. Authority director Poppy Khoza said global standards on the use of unmanned aircraft being developed by the International Civil Aviation Organisation were expected only in 2022. The industry, however, says safety regulations...
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