Aviation authority sounds alarm as fatal accidents rise 200% in South Africa

The South African African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) has issued a warning for South Africans during the festive season.

SACAA said that the Accidents and Investigations Division (AIID) has recorded 43 aviation accidents in the 2025/2026 financial year, which is much less than the previous financial year’s 131.

However, in the 2024/2025 financial year, only four of the 131 accidents experienced fatalities. This has risen by 200% in the current financial year, which is not over yet.

It said this resembles a trend last observed in October 2008, and it is deeply concerned about the recent aviation crashes.

Here are the number of aviation crashes and fatalities over past few years:

• 2022/23 financial year: 9 fatal accidents and 12 fatalities (115 total accidents)
• 2023/24 financial year: 13 fatal accidents and 19 fatalities (115 total accidents)
• 2024/25 financial year: 4 fatal accidents and 7 fatalities (131 total accidents)

The AIID is conducting investigations to determine what the contributing factors are to this year’s accidents, while SACAA said that it is accelerating safety interventions under the General Aviation Safety Strategy (GASS) 2025-2030.

GASS is a newly approved strategy aimed at strengthening safety performance and reducing preventable risks in the aviation sector.

Festive season safety

Flight activity increases significantly during the festive season, with schedules tightening as South Africa’s airlines face elevated operational pressure.

“Experience-induced complacency, undue haste, and self-imposed pressure remain significant contributors to avoidable accidents,” warned SACAA.

“SACAA reminds all pilots and operators to prioritise disciplined decision-making, meticulous flight planning, with strict adherence to regulations.”

Red flags over flight safety

In October 2025, Air Traffic Navigation Services (ATNS) indicated that South Africa had a limited number of air traffic controllers, which had become a major concern.

In the organisation’s annual report, ATNS chairman Zola Majavu highlighted the problem after the sector had faced many warnings from aviation experts over the last few years.

These warnings are especially concerning given that ATNS manages 6.1% of the world’s airspace, including Southern Africa and large sections of the Southern Atlantic and Indian oceans.

The annual report also highlighted that ATNS struggles to fill key positions, especially the 50 ATC employees lost in the last financial year.

Another contributor to this issue is that many foreign air-traffic control services like the United Arab Emirates and Australia have been poaching South African ATCs.

ATNS noted that the loss of skilled personnel has surpassed its ability to train replacements, and it could not match the offers of international poachers to retain the ATCs.

“Globally, the demanding nature, rigorous training and intense pressure of ATC roles contribute to a scarcity of skilled professionals, a trend also affecting ATNS,” Majavu said.

“While this outflow underscores the high quality of ATNS-trained individuals, who are sought after by international ANSPs, it highlights the urgent need to bolster internal capacity.”