SAA shortage ups accident fears
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SAA shortage ups accident fears
Johannesburg - A skills shortage at SAA Technical, which for decades was one of the most outstanding technical centres in Africa, has declined to the extent that its aviation safety standards have been brought into question.
The US' Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the South African Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) silently warned SAA about the issue in February and March this year.
Its technical division has not met the skills prerequisites for the maintenance work on the passenger jets that it is responsible for.
Last week, two former senior managers at SAA Technical's two most strategic workshops told Sake24 that they resigned following decades of service as they could no longer "live with their consciences".
The decline in technical standards owing to the shortage of trained staff had become "too serious" for them.
According to CAA CEO Colin Jordaan, the FAA and CAA's warnings resulted in SAA giving an undertaking that it will embark on an intensive drive to find technicians.
"SAA undertook to rather outsource work than compromise safety," said Jordaan.
Since then, however, standards have worsened rather than improved.
For the first time ever, SAA in June outsourced maintenance work on an Airbus A340-200 to Taeco, a company based in Xiamen on the east coast of China.
The aircraft returned to South Africa two weeks ago with 41 maintenance points which Taeco could not repair.
One of these was a rusted cross-beam on the aircraft frame under the kitchen and toilet passages.
Deon Wessels, a former manager of non-destructive inspections (NDI), resigned in November last year as he felt he could no longer be held accountable for the work done by that division.
SAA Technical is expected to have 19 senior NDI inspectors on its staff but currently, there are only six.
Of these, only three have the minimum requirement of six years practical experience, although all six passed their theoretical courses.
"An aircraft will fall owing to this. I guarantee this," Wessels told Sake24 last week."
He was previously the most experienced and most highly qualified NDI inspector at SAA Technical and worked for the airline for 26 years.
The US' Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the South African Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) silently warned SAA about the issue in February and March this year.
Its technical division has not met the skills prerequisites for the maintenance work on the passenger jets that it is responsible for.
Last week, two former senior managers at SAA Technical's two most strategic workshops told Sake24 that they resigned following decades of service as they could no longer "live with their consciences".
The decline in technical standards owing to the shortage of trained staff had become "too serious" for them.
According to CAA CEO Colin Jordaan, the FAA and CAA's warnings resulted in SAA giving an undertaking that it will embark on an intensive drive to find technicians.
"SAA undertook to rather outsource work than compromise safety," said Jordaan.
Since then, however, standards have worsened rather than improved.
For the first time ever, SAA in June outsourced maintenance work on an Airbus A340-200 to Taeco, a company based in Xiamen on the east coast of China.
The aircraft returned to South Africa two weeks ago with 41 maintenance points which Taeco could not repair.
One of these was a rusted cross-beam on the aircraft frame under the kitchen and toilet passages.
Deon Wessels, a former manager of non-destructive inspections (NDI), resigned in November last year as he felt he could no longer be held accountable for the work done by that division.
SAA Technical is expected to have 19 senior NDI inspectors on its staff but currently, there are only six.
Of these, only three have the minimum requirement of six years practical experience, although all six passed their theoretical courses.
"An aircraft will fall owing to this. I guarantee this," Wessels told Sake24 last week."
He was previously the most experienced and most highly qualified NDI inspector at SAA Technical and worked for the airline for 26 years.
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1. The issue of staff shortages is being addressed.
2. We are most impressed with the standard of work being carried out in China.
3. "An aircraft will fall owing to this. I guarantee this," Wessels told Sake24 last week."...This is a pretty serious, and I hope, misquoted statement. Disregard!
4. The CAA and FAA have audited SAA, and are happy with our standards.
Come on folks... Keep it real.
2. We are most impressed with the standard of work being carried out in China.
3. "An aircraft will fall owing to this. I guarantee this," Wessels told Sake24 last week."...This is a pretty serious, and I hope, misquoted statement. Disregard!
4. The CAA and FAA have audited SAA, and are happy with our standards.
Come on folks... Keep it real.
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Pitch and Fan,
Just one point if I may,
The audits you mention did indeed give the result you state, BUT they are simply what you say of them, a review of standards not capability.
You can write the most detailed and technically correct standards manuals and have all the equipment you need (which SAA does have) but if you do not have either sufficient in numbers and/or sufficient in ability in technical staff then all you have are standards and not capability.
The lead article in this thread states
and no amount of auditing of standards or procedures no matter how satisfactory will detract from the fact that there is a big problem at SAA.
I would like to see those auditors come back and do a thorough evaluation of the activities on the floor. If they are satisfied with that, then OK, but till then.....
Just one point if I may,
The audits you mention did indeed give the result you state, BUT they are simply what you say of them, a review of standards not capability.
You can write the most detailed and technically correct standards manuals and have all the equipment you need (which SAA does have) but if you do not have either sufficient in numbers and/or sufficient in ability in technical staff then all you have are standards and not capability.
The lead article in this thread states
A skills shortage at SAA Technical,
I would like to see those auditors come back and do a thorough evaluation of the activities on the floor. If they are satisfied with that, then OK, but till then.....
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Pitch and Fan
The problem with SAT is not a new kind but the same systematic failures of management (plaguing SAA as a whole) to make sound decisions. Yes I agree with Deon when he says he could no longer live with a clean conscience as he was part of the same management team which decided a few years ago to stop apprentice training. This resulted in SAT being robbed of a constant supply of highly qualified and skilled technicians which are sought after worldwide.
The problem with SAT is not a new kind but the same systematic failures of management (plaguing SAA as a whole) to make sound decisions. Yes I agree with Deon when he says he could no longer live with a clean conscience as he was part of the same management team which decided a few years ago to stop apprentice training. This resulted in SAT being robbed of a constant supply of highly qualified and skilled technicians which are sought after worldwide.
