Aviation Africa: Common aviation strategy key to Africa's future

Speaking during a tour of the exhibition floor at Aviation Africa, she referenced recent disruptions to services as a result of air traffic control failures that resulted in passenger delays. “Passengers at King Phalo and George airports in particular faced extensive delays, for which we apologise. We are now in the process of updating all flight procedures over the next 18 months to make sure we are fully compliant with international regulations,” Creecy said. “Passenger safety must not be compromised, even if we are facing difficulties.”

Commenting on the challenges faced across the industry, Creecy said that connectivity and the cost of fuel are both significant hurdles that need to be overcome. “The purpose of these gatherings is to address these challenges, so both here in South Africa and next year when Aviation Africa will go to Kigali I hope we can move forward on a common strategy for Africa in place.”

Creecy then turned her attention to the need to appoint a permanent CEO for South Africa’s flag carrier, South African Airways. “The South African cabinet has taken a decision that they wish to have a national flag carrier. Appointing a permanent CEO and having full time leadership is key to taking the airline forward.”

Addressing the need to ensure that the next generation of South Africa’s aviation professionals is up to speed, Creecy noted that the Department of Transport has already implemented significant training programmes, including for pilots, air traffic controllers and safety officials. “The purpose of these programme is to ensure that some of the highly skilled professions within the aviation industry are made available to marginalised South Africans. It’s critical there is bursary support for these training schemes to ensure that the opportunity is open to all.”

Looking ahead, Creecy said that the focus for growth now is to think about all the value streams for aviation, including the aerotropolis concept, which will be key to growing the industry. “ACSA plans to upgrade and expand our airports, which is very important given the anticipated growth in air passenger traffic. There are also plenty of exciting innovations in technology at the moment that we need to explore and we all know that to meet net zero commitments by 2050 we must find an alternative liquid aviation fuel with a lower carbon footprint. We also believe that South Africa is ideally placed to participate in the green hydrogen value chain.”