South Africa’s airports face an acute shortage of Air Traffic Controllers (ATCs) and are operating at critical staffing levels as a result.
This came to light during a briefing to the Portfolio Committee on Transport, where the country’s aviation stakeholders accounted for their first-quarter performance.
During the meeting, Air Traffic and Navigation Services (ATNS) said it is facing critical staff shortages of ATCs, as wealthy aviation hubs in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Australia aggressively poach local talent.
“In the last 2 years, we’ve lost almost 20 to 30 controllers or air traffic service personnel to this area,” highlighted Josia Manyakoana, Chief Operations Officer at ATNS.
He added that the crisis is not exclusive to South Africa, with entities in Canada, Greece, the UAE, and Australia all struggling to maintain capacity.
As a result, OR Tambo International Airport (ORTIA), South Africa’s busiest airport, is operating with a staff contingent way below the safety-recommended 80% threshold.
The airport’s approach sector is currently operating at a 57% staffing level, which the ATNS hopes to improve to 66% by the end of the third quarter and recover to the 80% benchmark by the end of the financial year.
By contrast, the staffing is significantly healthier at the Cape Town International Airport, with the tower and approach pool operating at 86%.
Manyakoana revealed that, to keep South Africa’s navigation services operational, ATNS has been forced to restrict staff leave, limit training slots, and place qualified managers on the radar floor to manage traffic.
To mitigate the crisis, ATNS has deployed a board-approved strategy to retain ATCs, ‘poach back’ staff, and partner with the South African Air Force (SAAF) to co-create talent pathways.
As a result, ATNS’s retention scheme slashed the ATC exit rate from 6.3% down to 2.2% by the end of the 2025/2026 financial year.
It also increased its bursary pipeline from 90 to 120 students per year, and recruited 26 qualified external ATCs in the last 12 months, although the “poaching back” strategy presents other risks.
Calls for the Transport Minister to step in
Following the briefing, Dr Chris Hunsinger, the DA Spokesperson on Transport, insisted that Transport Minister Barbara Creecy pay attention to and address the country’s air traffic issues.
“Reliable, trustworthy and safe commercial aviation is a cornerstone of a modern economy,” he said.
“Visitors and business people must be able to fly to South Africa, and around South Africa, with absolute confidence in safe aviation – or our economy and jobs will be at risk. It’s as simple as that.”
Hunsinger explained that responsibility for maintenance and upgrading the country’s air traffic navigation systems ultimately falls to Minister Creecy and her Department.
He added that South Africa requires strategic and structural interventions to address the serious weaknesses in its air traffic navigation system.
The issues plaguing the aviation sector have disrupted and delayed several flights and are placing pressure on the whole of South Africa’s aviation sector.
Domestic carrier Airlink has previously warned that failures at ATNS led to the suspension of more than 200 instrument flight procedures.
This resulted in disrupted flights to and from Kruger Mpumalanga, Richards Bay and Polokwane, particularly in poor weather.
South Africa’s biggest airline, FlySafair, recently reported that air-traffic constraints, particularly at OR Tambo International Airport, had become a factor in planning schedules and future growth.
In response, ATNS expressed its concern with what it called “inaccurate and misleading remarks made by FlySafair”.
ATNS added that since implementing the Flight Procedure Recovery Programme, it has made substantial progress in restoring critical instrument flight procedures.
South Africa’s airports now face additional issues regarding the reliable supply of jet fuel, which the DA called for Minister Creecy to take seriously.
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