Transport minister reports gradual improvement in aviation sector

Transport minister Sindisiwe Chikunga says investments in upgrading airports and improving cargo handling are on the cards to aid the aviation sector’s recovery post-Covid.

Recent backlogs at SA’s ports have prompted industrialists, importers and exporters to turn to the aviation sector in a desperate bid to transport some of their goods to their markets.

Chikunga was giving an update on key developments in the Airports Company SA (Acsa), the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) and Air Traffic and Navigation Services (ATNS). 

“The aviation sector’s recovery is on a positive trajectory,” she said. Data from last quarter of 2023/24 shows passenger numbers were just over 16% below pre-Covid-19 numbers.

Under a five-year permission period recently granted by the regulating committee, she said Acsa has earmarked R21.7bn for airport infrastructure development.

The investment focuses mainly on refurbishments, efficiency improvements and statutory compliance measures to improve asset availability, airport safety and passenger experiences at airports.

Over the next two years, Acsa plans to embark on crucial capacity expansion projects at Gqeberha’s Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport and George Airport, focusing on expansion of their terminal facilities.

“The terminal expansion project at George Airport is set to commence at the earliest opportunity due to the airport passenger throughput having passed its design capacity pre Covid-19. This will be followed by Chief Dawid Stuurman Airport within the next year or two,” she said.

Acsa is also set to embark on the development of a new cargo terminal, known as Mid-field Cargo, at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg.

Six new busing gates will be added to the existing Terminal A facility at OR Tambo, along with augmenting retail, seating and holding lounge areas. In phase 2, a new mezzanine level will be constructed.

At Cape Town International Airport, priority will be given to reconfiguration of the domestic arrivals terminal to meet growing capacity needs.

“This encompasses enlarging the meet-and-greet area, expansion of the baggage claim area, an additional baggage carousel, expansion of the domestic departures lounge, retail spaces and ablution facilities, as well as the addition of three new contact gates and fixed boarding bridges. Second, the initiation and development of the realigned runway development project is anticipated within the permission period.”

King Shaka International Airport in Durban will see the development of a hotel, with terminal expansion during the final year of the permission period.

In the air cargo sector, innovations such as real-time tracking systems, data analytics, automation and artificial intelligence to streamline operations have been introduced, she said.

Chikunga said the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) had rated SA’s safety oversight system at 91.11%, ranking the country first in Africa and 18th in the world, alongside Norway. ICAO had not raised any significant safety or security issues in recent audits. 

While SA has had no fatalities in the commercial airlines sector for nearly four decades, the goal is to halve the number of accidents in the general aviation sector.

Chikunga said at the end of the 2022/23 financial year, the number of accidents had decreased from 147 to 113, which was a 23% decrease from the 2021/22 period. The number of fatal accidents had decreased from 12 to nine, a 25% decrease, with the number of fatalities decreasing by 29.4%. 

In the 2023/24 financial year, 97 accidents had been recorded to date. “While we are projecting these numbers to marginally be lower than the previous reporting period, the number of fatal accidents has increased to 13, which is four more than data from the 2022/23 financial year,” said Chikunga.

To curb these accidents, which she said happen in a non-scheduled private flying space, the SACAA has developed and implemented a general aviation safety strategy in consultation with the industry, aiming for a  reduction in accidents and fatalities.

She said several innovative solutions had been launched, which included a move away from a hard copy booklet still used by many aviation states to identify licensed personnel, to a smart card licence empowered with state-of-the-art security features.

The regulator has also in the past year launched an eServices portal where operators can submit certificate renewal applications online.

She said infrastructure investment of R128m was made in the 2022/23 year in support of ATNS’s goal of having reliable and stable air traffic management infrastructure.

“In ATNS’s pursuit of more essential infrastructure upgrades to ensure the entity is future-fit to continue delivering on its national mandate, up to R155m is required in the next financial year for investment in its Aeronautical Fixed Telecommunication Network (AFTN),” Chikunga said.

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