Air traffic control alarm: Risks in SA’s understaffing, outdated or unmaintained equipment

Understaffing, air controller fatigue, allegedly stolen and unmaintained equipment, along with several operational challenges.

This is what an ongoing investigation into potential safety threats in South Africa’s airspace reveals.

Air traffic control operations in SA are facing critical issues that could potentially jeopardise the safety of flights.

Air traffic control at half capacity

According to current and former air traffic controllers employed by Air Traffic and Navigation Services (ATNS), the organisation is critically understaffed with, for example, shifts requiring six controllers now frequently manned by only two or three. And ATNS is bleeding staff.

“The tower just lost four people last month. The pool is sitting with less than 50% of its required complement,” said one source.

South African air traffic controllers are in great demand globally, with Australian recruiters presently actively recruiting locally, while others move to an insatiable Middle Eastern market.

“Salaries are often almost double elsewhere,” a controller said. “We have not had an increase since pre-Covid.”

This reduction of human capital forces the consolidation of airspace sectors, which significantly increases the workload of each controller.

Overwork can cause fatigue, which increases the likelihood of instances such as missed clearances, failure to maintain proper separation between aircraft in flight and frequent go-arounds, where aircraft are forced to abort landings due to missed or non-timeous instructions.

“There are aircraft not being cleared properly for approach and not being handed over. That’s where the safety issue lies,” a controller said.

ALSO READ: SA pilots forced to turn off lights as laser pranks escalate

According to ATNS controllers, a second controller would normally monitor the actions of the primary controller to catch any missed instructions or errors. Due to staffing shortages, this “second pair of eyes” is often missing.

“We are a top-heavy organisation,” a controller said. “Seventy percent of ATNS comprises administration staff who can earn much more than operational staff, yet we are responsible for the safety of millions of people,” they said.

Air traffic authority ATNS claims progress made

ATNS spokesperson Mphilo Dlamini would not answer specific questions.

But he said that since ATNS announced in July the start of an intensive instrument flight procedure maintenance programme, ATNS had made extensive and significant progress.

ALSO READ: Light aircraft crashes at golf estate in Durban North

This includes a comprehensive turnaround plan that has been presented to the minister of transport and endorsed by the aviation industry.

“While we acknowledge that this programme has had a substantial impact on our operations and those of airspace users, we have, consistently, been providing regular progress updates to keep all stakeholders informed.”

Dlamini added that the flight procedure maintenance programme had been ”successfully fast-tracked” over the past three months.

“This initiative is crucial for maintaining the safety of South Africa’s airspace, adhering to both global standards and the specific requirements of the International Civil Aviation Organisation.

“This work flow process is ongoing as safety remains a non-negotiable priority for ATNS.” He added that ATNS adheres to global governance practices.

“We strive to be among the best in the world in terms of talent acquisition, ensuring that we continue to provide exceptional services.”

He said that measures are in place to right-size the organisation.

“In our pursuit of efficiency and excellent service delivery, we have a number of partnerships globally that serve mutual interests in a number of areas that could include capacity, resources, skills transfer, innovation, benchmarking frameworks and others.”

ALSO READ: Incredible shrinking airline seats

Systems and equipment need much improvement

Yet now, air traffic controllers are also being forced to rely on manual vectoring to manage skyways at times, sources said.

This is where they guide aircraft through specific headings because outdated or unmaintained equipment prevent the use of pre-defined flight paths for arrivals and departures.

This increases their workload as they must continuously give instructions to pilots rather than relying on automated systems.

The employee also noted that due to the lack of updated procedures, controllers sometimes even have to use their cellphones to make the calculations.

This can also lead to slower handovers of aircraft between sectors which, in turn, could lead to delayed instructions to change altitude, for example.

“Sometimes after takeoff, an aircraft has to level off first to give extra time to hand over between controllers,” a source said.

ALSO READ: Acsa’s R21.7bn investment plan approved for SA’s airports

ATNS recently shut down several airports because of outdated procedures.

Aircraft at other airports are frequently forced to go around or take longer routes due to poor procedural management and lack of updated flight paths.

The staffer alleged that ATNS’ operational inefficiencies are contributing to higher fuel consumption and that this added more bottom line cost to airlines.

Thunderstorm season in SA can be especially onerous under these conditions.

“If you ask a pilot, more often than not during thunderstorm season, they are already low on fuel and could become fuel critical.

“Now, you’ve got to manually manage them and they go around because of basic mistakes, because you’re understaffed… it’s a safety risk.”

ALSO READ: ACSA confirms flight cancellations at King Phalo Airport in East London

Technical issues make it all the more dangerous to fly

Another ATNS staffer said that there have been instances where aircraft disappear from the radar screen, or the system freezes for up to 30 seconds.

It does not happen often, but such technical issues are extremely dangerous, especially when handling high-speed, high-altitude traffic where split-second decisions are crucial.

“It all boils down to lacklustre maintenance,” they said. Not all radio equipment works all the time either, another controller said.

Long-distance radio communication requires relays and in some areas relays were frequently cut off or produced garbled transmissions.

“When you cannot talk to a pilot during flight, it becomes dangerous,” the controller said.

Additionally, allegations of stolen radio equipment and navigation beacons, targeted for their copper content, further complicate air traffic management.

ALOS READ: Which hunt do you call a witch-hunt?