SA's Airspace is safe
GunsssR4ever
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SA's Airspace is safe
Cape Town - South Africa's air space was safe despite a shortage of air traffic controllers, MPs were told on Wednesday.
"We believe it is in hand. It's not unsafe," said Dr Johan van Vollenhoven, managing director of the government-owned Air Traffic and Navigation Systems (ATNS), to the National Assembly's transport committee.
Van Vollenhoven also warned MPs that pay channel M-Net had picked up on news reports about the shortage and it was feared that Carte Blanche would make a "sensational programme".
"It's not unsafe and we will continue to fix it," said Van Vollenhoven.
ATNS continued to lose controllers to lucrative overseas markets, especially in the Middle East where salaries were dollar-based.
The company was trying to ensure there were enough recruits in the system, although it took four to five years to train a radar controller, he said.
There were 200 controllers countrywide, 20 up from last year.
The shortage was at Johannesburg International Airport which dealt with the most traffic, said Van Vollenhoven.
ATNS had a 10% shortage of traffic controllers countrywide.
54 new controllers by September
In the past 3˝ years, 150 cadets had been recruited, of which 16 would come through the system in the next two months as fully-fledged controllers, and a further 38 by September this year, he said.
"We will then, hopefully, get stability. We will never run unsafe skies. We will never run our controllers outside their hours of duty."
South Africa had experienced very flat traffic growth in 2000 and 2001, although this had increased by 6% in 2002 and 9% this year.
"Over and above this, in the last two months we are running at 15% year on year because of the (cricket) World Cup.
"Our skies are busier and Johannesburg International, specifically, is running at absolute full capacity."
Van Vollenhoven said that during peak periods in Johannesburg "we are currently tight on staff, but it is not unsafe".
While some delays were being caused, ATNS was working with major airlines, to manage the problem as best it could.
Although airlines blamed ATNS for 30% of delays, the company believed it was less than this.
Overseas controllers 'will fill in'
Van Vollenhoven said a R500m new air-traffic control system would come into operation at Johannesburg International in November, which would help alleviate the problem.
While South African air traffic controllers were being trained on the new system, controllers from Australia and Europe would fill in.
Once the new system was implemented "we will not have a controller situation anymore of any concern".
The Sunday Times reported recently that a shortage of air traffic controllers at Johannesburg International Airport was costing domestic airlines millions of rands a month and wreaking havoc with flight schedules.
"We believe it is in hand. It's not unsafe," said Dr Johan van Vollenhoven, managing director of the government-owned Air Traffic and Navigation Systems (ATNS), to the National Assembly's transport committee.
Van Vollenhoven also warned MPs that pay channel M-Net had picked up on news reports about the shortage and it was feared that Carte Blanche would make a "sensational programme".
"It's not unsafe and we will continue to fix it," said Van Vollenhoven.
ATNS continued to lose controllers to lucrative overseas markets, especially in the Middle East where salaries were dollar-based.
The company was trying to ensure there were enough recruits in the system, although it took four to five years to train a radar controller, he said.
There were 200 controllers countrywide, 20 up from last year.
The shortage was at Johannesburg International Airport which dealt with the most traffic, said Van Vollenhoven.
ATNS had a 10% shortage of traffic controllers countrywide.
54 new controllers by September
In the past 3˝ years, 150 cadets had been recruited, of which 16 would come through the system in the next two months as fully-fledged controllers, and a further 38 by September this year, he said.
"We will then, hopefully, get stability. We will never run unsafe skies. We will never run our controllers outside their hours of duty."
South Africa had experienced very flat traffic growth in 2000 and 2001, although this had increased by 6% in 2002 and 9% this year.
"Over and above this, in the last two months we are running at 15% year on year because of the (cricket) World Cup.
"Our skies are busier and Johannesburg International, specifically, is running at absolute full capacity."
Van Vollenhoven said that during peak periods in Johannesburg "we are currently tight on staff, but it is not unsafe".
While some delays were being caused, ATNS was working with major airlines, to manage the problem as best it could.
Although airlines blamed ATNS for 30% of delays, the company believed it was less than this.
Overseas controllers 'will fill in'
Van Vollenhoven said a R500m new air-traffic control system would come into operation at Johannesburg International in November, which would help alleviate the problem.
While South African air traffic controllers were being trained on the new system, controllers from Australia and Europe would fill in.
Once the new system was implemented "we will not have a controller situation anymore of any concern".
The Sunday Times reported recently that a shortage of air traffic controllers at Johannesburg International Airport was costing domestic airlines millions of rands a month and wreaking havoc with flight schedules.
Gatvol
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"It's not unsafe and we will continue to fix it," said Van Vollenhoven. "
Excuse me......If its not unsafe why does it have to be fixed. Im betting those with TCAS get to see them light up quite frequently......
And where are all these new Controllers coming from??.......No doubt highly qualified, top of the class......On second thought dont answer that one.
Excuse me......If its not unsafe why does it have to be fixed. Im betting those with TCAS get to see them light up quite frequently......
And where are all these new Controllers coming from??.......No doubt highly qualified, top of the class......On second thought dont answer that one.
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Sunday TV Watching
This is a rumour network after all, and someone told me watch Carte Blanche on Sunday (16th) night, 7PM MNET. I believe there is going to be an eye-opening documentary about the above problems. Although this may all be a rumour.
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Wouldnt it be cheaper to just pay the local guys more so that they would stay, instead of paying a fortune to get foreign ATCs into the country? I heard a rumour that they will be leasing 8-10 ATCs from Sweden. Very expensive......
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Bert, cannot agree with you more - if it ain't broken there's nothing to fix.
Delays at Joburg is the norm rather than the exception. On top of this the phrase "One radar is u/s" is also heard and it ALWAYS happens when LVP's are in force in JNB. Nothing like boarding and then being stuck in the a/c for an hour because you are number 15 for start.
WF, also heard that MNET is on to it on Sunday 16th.
Delays at Joburg is the norm rather than the exception. On top of this the phrase "One radar is u/s" is also heard and it ALWAYS happens when LVP's are in force in JNB. Nothing like boarding and then being stuck in the a/c for an hour because you are number 15 for start.
WF, also heard that MNET is on to it on Sunday 16th.
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B Sousa wrote: ”Excuse me......If its not unsafe why does it have to be fixed. Im betting those with TCAS get to see them light up quite frequently......”
If you were “one of those with TCAS” then I’m sure you would have been a bit more responsible in your post entries. You also would have been one of the guys being held more and more frequently (especially on the ground), as overworked controllers are not willing to compromise aviation safety by taking on too much traffic at any stage. We are also not willing to cram more and more aircraft into the already saturated and complex airspace over JB in order to satisfy the increasing demands for more flights. So next time your TCAS lights up, please do the paperwork so that a proper investigation can be done – we view these things in a very serious light indeed. (By the way. Thanks for all the patience out there. We actually do care, and although I won’t think twice bout making you spin, it burns my bum every time I see an aircraft go outbound in the hold)
As for the ability of the new (o/seas) controllers, only time will tell. We’ve never been willing to send local students lose on frequency if they were not found to be on standard, and I cannot see why that should change with respect to the rumoured Swiss, Irish or Ausies.
Wild Frequency wrote: “I believe there is going to be an eye-opening documentary about the above problems. Although this may all be a rumour”
The documentary is fact. If not aired on the 16th then watch the following Sunday as they only visited this week. If they asked the right questions without accepting bull-dust for an answer then you’re right, it should definitely be an eye opener. Otherwise I urge you to listen carefully to management solutions and their target dates. Playing for time is a known ploy of desperate people.
ZRH wrote: “Wouldn’t it be cheaper to just pay the local guys more so that they would stay, instead of paying a fortune to get foreign ATCs into the country?”
True statement ZRH. It unfortunately makes sense, thus not an acceptable management option. Ever heard of the expression “cut off your nose to spite your own face”? As for the scores of top quality SA controllers in the Middle East – management would rather go down in flames than make it worth their while to return.
Then again, to quote “someone high up” : “JB ATC’s are all a bunch of Primadonnas” So maybe I should wind my neck in and crawl back into my dark little cage and get on with it like a good little monkey.
If you were “one of those with TCAS” then I’m sure you would have been a bit more responsible in your post entries. You also would have been one of the guys being held more and more frequently (especially on the ground), as overworked controllers are not willing to compromise aviation safety by taking on too much traffic at any stage. We are also not willing to cram more and more aircraft into the already saturated and complex airspace over JB in order to satisfy the increasing demands for more flights. So next time your TCAS lights up, please do the paperwork so that a proper investigation can be done – we view these things in a very serious light indeed. (By the way. Thanks for all the patience out there. We actually do care, and although I won’t think twice bout making you spin, it burns my bum every time I see an aircraft go outbound in the hold)
As for the ability of the new (o/seas) controllers, only time will tell. We’ve never been willing to send local students lose on frequency if they were not found to be on standard, and I cannot see why that should change with respect to the rumoured Swiss, Irish or Ausies.
Wild Frequency wrote: “I believe there is going to be an eye-opening documentary about the above problems. Although this may all be a rumour”
The documentary is fact. If not aired on the 16th then watch the following Sunday as they only visited this week. If they asked the right questions without accepting bull-dust for an answer then you’re right, it should definitely be an eye opener. Otherwise I urge you to listen carefully to management solutions and their target dates. Playing for time is a known ploy of desperate people.
ZRH wrote: “Wouldn’t it be cheaper to just pay the local guys more so that they would stay, instead of paying a fortune to get foreign ATCs into the country?”
True statement ZRH. It unfortunately makes sense, thus not an acceptable management option. Ever heard of the expression “cut off your nose to spite your own face”? As for the scores of top quality SA controllers in the Middle East – management would rather go down in flames than make it worth their while to return.
Then again, to quote “someone high up” : “JB ATC’s are all a bunch of Primadonnas” So maybe I should wind my neck in and crawl back into my dark little cage and get on with it like a good little monkey.
Gatvol
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Raw Return.......Your shooting at the messenger. I have a high regard for those who sit behind the screen. I just think that the fix that will happen will be a third world patch, not the one that brings increased safety..
