South Africa’s airports deteriorating in plain sight – leaving some planes flying blind

South Africa’s airline industry is facing a growing crisis, with failing navigation systems and deteriorating airport infrastructure.

This is forcing airlines in the country to cancel or delay flights, often at enormous cost to the airlines themselves. 

This is according to Aaron Munetsi, CEO of the Airlines Association of Southern Africa (AASA), who said the situation is fast becoming unsustainable.

The association represents 17 African airlines, including Airlink, FlySafair, and South African Airways, and has 40 associate members, including Boeing and Airbus, the world’s largest aircraft manufacturers.

Speaking to the Money Show, Munetsi outlined various issues, including delays and cancellations that stem from dysfunction within the country’s air traffic navigation services. 

“We’ve been having several challenges with both the operations at our airports and from the aviation navigation services provider,” he said.

A key problem is with the country’s Instrument Flight Procedures, which he described as the “road map” that guides pilots between airports. 

Munetsi pointed out that the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) must validate and approve these procedures. 

When this doesn’t happen, “we then have a problem because there are some operations that cannot be carried out,” he explained. 

This year, City Press reported that critical services faced management and capacity issues, which had impacted operations at the King Phalo and George airports. 

This included malfunctioning of the Instrument Landing Systems (ILS), which had impacted low-visibility landings and pilots’ inability to land aircraft at night or during cloudy, misty, or rainy weather.

As a result, airlines are often forced to cancel or combine flights, creating frustration for passengers and financial strain for operators.

Airlines hung out to dry

Airports themselves are also falling short. Munetsi said basic procedures such as Standard Instrument Departures and Terminal Arrival Routings are poorly managed. 

This leads to congestion on the ground, with long queues of aircraft waiting to take off. 

“We end up with those delays now having a knock-on effect, not only on the cost to airlines, but also on turnaround times and other scheduled routes,” he said. 

“When an aircraft does not take off and is idling, it is burning fuel.” This ripple effect hits profitability hard. “When routes are delayed, passengers are inconvenienced,” Munetsi said. 

He added that airlines have to meet their commitments. In the case of a cancellation and no alternative, the duty of care says that we must look after the passenger.

“Either by putting them on another airline, or if there’s no other flight, put them up in a hotel. That all comes to us as airlines. That’s our responsibility.”

What makes this even more frustrating for the airlines, Munetsi argued, is the lack of accountability from service providers. 

“If airlines don’t pay their dues, they are grounded without even a chance to negotiate,” he said. “But when they don’t provide the service, or provide a bad one, we still have to pay.” 

He stressed that airlines are being forced to pay service providers that do not provide the services they’re paying for, while simultaneously spending even more to ensure passenger safety and satisfaction.

Munetsi highlighted that even basic airport facilities remain in disrepair. Walkways shut down during the COVID-19 lockdowns have not yet been reopened or maintained. 

“It was a valid business decision to shut them down during lockdown. But once we started opening up, we would have expected a gradual reopening, even if they are technically complicated,” he said. 

He noted that these facilities should have been part of a phased return to full operations.

“Airlines pay for these facilities. Even passengers pay airport service charges and are not getting what they’re paying for. Airlines are not getting what we are paying for.”

Munetsi added that another issue is that the complaints from frustrated passengers often fall on the airlines themselves.

He warned that the current situation is unsustainable, a “double whammy” for airlines paying for services they aren’t receiving and footing the bill when things go wrong. 

With critical infrastructure neglected and regulatory delays mounting, South Africa’s aviation sector is flying blind, and the financial turbulence may only worsen.

Some improvements are coming

While not fully addressing key infrastructure complaints by the airlines, Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) is undergoing a significant infrastructure maintenance and capital expansion programme across its airports.

ACSA is the owner of nine of South Africa’s largest airports, which include the OR Tambo, Cape Town and King Shaka International Airports.

According to the group, the maintenance programme has prioritised high-impact infrastructure, such as sewerage systems, ablution facilities, and fire escapes.

The current projects are scheduled for completion between late 2025 and 2027.