Gunship
8th Jun 2003, 08:15
South African Airways pilots had to take collision-avoiding action on 27 flights last year while flying over Africa.
This sobering statistic - which increases dramatically to 59 if other major foreign carriers' incidents are included - underlines the need for legislation that will force airlines to equip their aircraft with financially burdensome collision avoidance systems by the end of the month.
Those airlines that fail to comply with the deadline may be forced to stop flying in South African airspace.
The Airborne Collision Avoidance System II - which can cost up to R2-million a time :uhoh: - has to be installed on aircraft carrying 30 passengers or more by July 1, following a directive by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). Just four weeks before the deadline, five local carriers and at least one foreign carrier, with possibly more to come, have applied for extensions to meet compliance.
The South African Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), which is charged with policing the upgrade, says non-compliant carriers can expect little sympathy.
"They have known for years that this law was to be implemented and the ICAO deadline of January 1 has been extended already to next month," says Sakhile Nyoni, acting chief executive of the CAA.
She says that only the Commissioner for Civil Aviation, Trevor Abrahams, can grant individual extensions to airlines. "The feeling is that commercial considerations will not be taken as reasons for extensions. Their grounds will have to be better than that," says Nyoni.
The major domestic airlines are mostly compliant and, although the smaller carriers are in the process of equipping their fleets, they may have to ground aircraft until the new regulation is met.
Nyoni says the CAA has sent out notices to all foreign carriers advising them to comply with the new laws or be banned from South African airspace.
"Although overflying Africa is a problem for all airlines, there is a growing need for airborne collision-avoidance systems within South African airspace," says Arthur Downes, a CAA flight operations inspector.
"Our air traffic controllers are world class, but the service is undermanned and aircraft are increasingly being stacked at peak times while waiting to land at Johannesburg International Airport. On top of this, the volume of traffic within our borders is increasing. We have to protect these passengers," he says.
Downes says that the CAA will actively police the new regulations.
"We have a team of between four and eight inspectors that board aircraft of various airlines on arrival. We check them out and if they don't comply, they don't fly."
This sobering statistic - which increases dramatically to 59 if other major foreign carriers' incidents are included - underlines the need for legislation that will force airlines to equip their aircraft with financially burdensome collision avoidance systems by the end of the month.
Those airlines that fail to comply with the deadline may be forced to stop flying in South African airspace.
The Airborne Collision Avoidance System II - which can cost up to R2-million a time :uhoh: - has to be installed on aircraft carrying 30 passengers or more by July 1, following a directive by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). Just four weeks before the deadline, five local carriers and at least one foreign carrier, with possibly more to come, have applied for extensions to meet compliance.
The South African Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), which is charged with policing the upgrade, says non-compliant carriers can expect little sympathy.
"They have known for years that this law was to be implemented and the ICAO deadline of January 1 has been extended already to next month," says Sakhile Nyoni, acting chief executive of the CAA.
She says that only the Commissioner for Civil Aviation, Trevor Abrahams, can grant individual extensions to airlines. "The feeling is that commercial considerations will not be taken as reasons for extensions. Their grounds will have to be better than that," says Nyoni.
The major domestic airlines are mostly compliant and, although the smaller carriers are in the process of equipping their fleets, they may have to ground aircraft until the new regulation is met.
Nyoni says the CAA has sent out notices to all foreign carriers advising them to comply with the new laws or be banned from South African airspace.
"Although overflying Africa is a problem for all airlines, there is a growing need for airborne collision-avoidance systems within South African airspace," says Arthur Downes, a CAA flight operations inspector.
"Our air traffic controllers are world class, but the service is undermanned and aircraft are increasingly being stacked at peak times while waiting to land at Johannesburg International Airport. On top of this, the volume of traffic within our borders is increasing. We have to protect these passengers," he says.
Downes says that the CAA will actively police the new regulations.
"We have a team of between four and eight inspectors that board aircraft of various airlines on arrival. We check them out and if they don't comply, they don't fly."