POLOKWANE – Gateway Authority Airport Limited (GAAL) is well on its way to reclaiming its category 7 status after it was downgraded to category 2 in April.
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Review reported in June that Transport MEC Mavhungu Lerule-Ramakhanya was optimistic that the airport would soon be restored to its former glory.
The South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) downgraded the airport after an inspection revealed that it was not compliant with their governing regulations. The downgrade saw the airport unable to accommodate commercial flights as most of the issues of non-compliance were safety-related.
Lerule-Ramakhanya welcomed the findings saying once attended to they would only better the functionality of the airport.
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Her department then set a deadline for the end of July wherein all 14 matters raised needed to be attended to. “We have completed 11 of the 14 recommendations and the remaining three are well underway. I am confident that by the deadline all the recommendations would have been attended to as stipulated by the authority.”
Review contacted the department’s media liaison officer, Mike Maringa, who said they are hopeful that domestic flights can resume by August.
Remaining issues:
Airfield signage
Maringa said the airport management team were, on July 15, made aware that there are not sufficient signage boards. “The installation of signage boards is expected to be completed by August 1,” he explained.
Aerodrome manual
The aerodrome manual was previously not approved by Sacaa, and consultations for review and amendments were finalised. “The manual has been amended to be approved and appointment is underway. The issue will likely be concluded by July 31,” he added.
Quality assurance system
It was found that the quality assurance system was not maintained and adhered to. “The system needs to be understood and implemented at all levels,” Maringa said.
He said despite the Covid-19 pandemic influencing the speed at which these issues could be resolved, they hope that Sacaa will grant them approval of their licence.
“All the other things have been resolved and we are waiting for the green light,” he concluded.
