Air safety comes under the microscope in SA

Air safety in South Africa is currently undergoing an aviation safety audit by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

The a specialised oversight agency of the United Nations (UN) is currently conducting a 12-day Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme (USOAP) which will put the country’s civil aviation safety system and oversight capabilities under the microscope.

Audit

The SA Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) spokesperson Sisa Majola said the SACAA is mandated by the state in coordinating and leading this process and ensuring that the state performs well in the audit of air safety in South Africa.

“In essence, the audit will put to a test the efficiency of the oversight responsibility of the SACAA on the industry. As a result, ICAO will also conduct physical visits to selected industry operators to assess the efficiency by which the regulator, on behalf of the state, discharges its obligations.

“What is also significant about this audit on South African soil is that it will be number 1 000 audit activity to be performed by ICAO under the USOAP-CMA programme, with this being a huge milestone for ICAO and the global community,” Majola said.

ALSO READ: SA elected to preside over ICAO 41st assembly

Last audit

Majola added that South Africa was last audited in 2017.

“The state achieved an Effective Implementation (EI) rating of 87.39% against the current global average of 67,50% EI. This means that our country’s level of EI is currently significantly higher than the world’s average.”

The audit comes hot at the heels of the United States safety audit which saw South Africa retaining its Category 1 Status from the Federal Aviation Administration of the United States, which found that South Africa complies with the applicable ICAO standards for civil aviation safety oversight.

In June 2022, South Africa received permanent recognition of our cargo aviation security system by the United States Transport Security Administration.

Confidence

Meanwhile, SACAA director Poppy Khoza, said the continuous scrutiny of the aviation sector provides confidence to South Africans.

“The continuous scrutiny of our civil aviation safety and security oversight is what should give the South African public confidence that the Regulator will not be distracted in its commitment to keep our skies safe. It is not by luck that the airline sector still boasts a zero fatal accident rate in scheduled operations.

“The current reduction of fatal accidents in the general aviation sector is also evidence that the Regulator will stop at nothing in promoting and enforcing civil aviation regulations with our operators,” Khoza said.

ALSO READ: Pilot killed in light aircraft crash next to N14 in Centurion