Photo: Taag.com
The Department of Transport has confirmed that the Angolan embassy apologised after an aircraft chartered by Angolan airline TAAG landed at the Cape Town International Airport.
The aircraft landed without a mandatory foreign operator’s permit (FOP).
It also confirmed that the aircraft, which had no passengers on board, was grounded after it landed at the airport on Friday night.
UPDATE: TAAG airline brouhaha: Minister Mbalula wrong about ‘illegal’ flight
The department said the Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) activated its operational protocols and immediately grounded the aircraft, while liaising with the relevant authorities.
“There was only crew on board and no passengers. The Air Traffic and Navigation Services (ATNS) received the flight plan in line with its operating procedures and accepted the aircraft into South Africa’s airspace from Namibia direction.”
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It said TAAG Angola Airlines has a Foreign Operator’s Permit which lists all the aircraft they use in the undertaking of their scheduled flights.
“However, due to the grounding of some of their fleet due to maintenance, they chartered an aircraft not listed in their FOP to collect workers of the oil company, Chevron. The International Air Services Act of 1993 requires that a holder of an FOP must apply to amend their permit if there is a change in the category or kind of aircraft, amongst others. This was not done in this case.”
The South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) conducted an investigation and released its findings.
In its investigation, the SACAA established the crew could not produce a Foreign Operator’s Permit issued by South Africa, and therefore is in contravention of the Chicago Convention.
“However, the aircraft and flight crew are in compliance with safety requirements and therefore do not pose a safety risk to South Africa’s airspace.”
“The crew have passports and are suitably licensed and qualified. The Aircraft is in an airworthy state with all the relevant documentation.
“A security assessment and K9 search were conducted and no further contraventions were established.”
The embassy also apologised:
“Correspondence was received from the Angolan Embassy, apologising for the incident and requesting assistance and guidance on the way forward,” it said.
Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula said he has taken note of the SACAA recommendation that the Angolan Authorities be formally notified of the infringement by the Department, and the grounding of the aircraft should remain in place until the matter of the FOP is resolved.
“The Chairperson of the International Air Services Council will consider the matter in line with her legal mandate. Compliance with Civil Aviation Regulations by any airline operator is paramount.
“Violation of our civil aviation laws is a matter we take extremely seriously.
Mbalula said the department “regularly reviews the efficacy of our standard operating procedures to ensure our systems are robust.
He added that the department will use the incident as a test case to review the efficacy of protocols for allowing foreign aircraft entry into South African airspace
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