South Africa's aviation sector is recognized as one of the safest in the world.
Transport Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga highlighted that the fatal accident rate in South Africa's civil aviation sector has remained at 0% for nearly 40 years, and said the country is recognized for its safety standards in the aviation sector. .
Chikunga was briefing the media on Tuesday about the current situation in the aviation industry.
Watch Transport Minister Sindiswe Chikunga brief the media about South Africa's aviation sector.
He also highlighted progress made to simplify procedures, including the digitalization of the approval process and plans to introduce a new Aviation Appeals Board.
Mr Chikunga said the past few years had been the busiest for the civil aviation sector as South Africa participated in four important international security audits and assessments.
These include audits by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the US safety and security regulators, namely the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).
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“South Africa performed very well in all of these audits and evaluations. ICAO rated South Africa’s safety monitoring system at 91.11%, placing South Africa first in Africa and tied with Norway in the world. It was ranked 18th.
“ICAO also did not raise any serious safety and security concerns in both safety and security audits conducted within eight months,” Ms Chikunga said.
Mr. Chikunga said the FAA has found South Africa's safety monitoring system meets ICAO's safety standards and recommended practices, thus ensuring that South Africa maintains Category 1 status under the standards of the United States' International Oversight and Safety Audit (IOSA) program. He said he confirmed that there was.
Also read: Aviation safety is under the microscope in SA
Accident rate record
Chikunga said South Africa aims to maintain a zero-fatality record for decades to come.
“One of the strategic objectives of the current government is to reduce accidents in the general aviation sector by 50%. At the end of the previous financial year 2022/2023, the number of accidents had decreased from 147 to 113. This is a 23% decrease compared to 2021/2022.
“The number of fatal accidents has decreased from 12 to nine, which is a 25% decrease and the number of fatalities has decreased by 29.4%,” Chikunga said.
Mr Chikunga said the aviation industry was also still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“South Africa's aviation industry is doing very well at both a national and international level.
“Towards the end of the final quarter of 2023/2024, data shows passenger numbers are approaching pre-COVID-19 figures at just over 16%. “That's good news because it means we're getting closer to a return to the era of aviation,” she said.
south africa airport
Mr Chikunga also noted that Airports Authority of South Africa (ACSA) is reviewing the airport's master plan, driving current infrastructure demands while ensuring preparedness to meet future demands.
“This ongoing process is critical to strengthening the foundations of South Africa’s resilient air transport system and is fundamental to driving our country’s economic development and growth.
“Following a five-year license recently granted by the Regulatory Commission, ACSA has allocated R21.7 billion for airport infrastructure development. This investment will primarily improve asset availability, airport safety and passenger experience across the airport. It targets renovations, efficiency improvements and legal compliance measures with the aim of improving,” Chikunga said.
Chikunga added that in view of the demand and subsequent development of the Midfield Passenger Terminal, ACSA will also prioritize the development of a new cargo terminal known as Midfield Cargo at OR Tambo International Airport. Ta.
Mr. Chikunga also highlighted the introduction of the eAirway bill with the air cargo industry to enhance efficiency and competitiveness.
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