SOME ECONOMISTS predict that within the next decade, South Africa will no longer be the largest economy on the African continent. This status might pass to Nigeria – a country which has a population three times the size of South Africa’s and benefits from some of the largest oil and gas reserves on the African Continent. The predictions are that Nigeria also stands a good chance of supplanting South Africa as the dominant aviation power on the continent.
Although 2011 has not been a good year for the North and Western African airline industries, Nigeria currently operates a fleet of over 90 large commercial aeroplanes and its highly entrepreneurial airline sector can only expand as safety levels improve and demand for air travel increases.
Were Nigeria to replace South Africa as the continent’s aviation super power, the rainbow nation would forfeit much of the influence and prestige it currently derives within international bodies such as ICAO.
As every South African involved in aviation has an interest in their country remaining at the top of the African aviation tree, it is important for all to know what can be done to see off any future challenge. The obvious measures lie in continually improving competitiveness in the areas of price, training, equipment and infra-structure and, most importantly, creating a strong partnership between the industry and government.
In the realm of industry/government participation, much can be learnt from the practises of successful aviation nations such as the Americas, Britain and France. These countries have honed systems in which the government, the regulators, parastatal service providers and the industry, all work together to ensure safety, administrative efficiency and commercial success. They follow a co-operative approach and understand that administrative delays waste money and harm the industry.
Unfortunately, even before looking to the future, it is possible to identify a number of areas where South Africa is falling short on delivering administrative efficiency and meaningful co-operation between government and the industry. Recent failures by the Department of Transport (DoT) to make crucial administrative appointments is either de-railing or negatively affecting administrative processes that are crucial to the day-to-day functioning of the aviation industry.
This is becoming a major concern to many aviation companies. Ever since the departure of Colin Jordaan from the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) in December 2010, the SACAA has been without a permanent head. This delay in making an appointment is starting to be reminiscent of that bad era, between 2003 and 2006, when the authority lacked a permanent Chief Executive. Although, the current Acting Director, Zakhele Thwala, is doing his best to keep the unruly beast that is the SACAA, in check, the delay in making a permanent appointment is once again causing the authority to drift off course.
There are again industry complaints of slipping service levels in some departments and stories emanating from within the authority about factionalism and political infighting. Six months is far too long for an organisation like the SACAA to be without a permanent head. A capable and qualified permanent director, who can competently and firmly manage the SACAA, with the full support of the Minister and the SACAA Board, must be appointed without further delay.
Other examples also exist. There are currently no functioning licensing councils as the term of office for members of the International Air Services Council and the Air Services Licensing Council expired in March 2011. Since then, applicants for new licences or amendments to current licences are unable to get their applications heard. Some companies have a number of applications awaiting adjudication.
It is vital to the wellbeing of the commercial aviation sector that the system for the allocation of operating rights is not disrupted. Officials in the DoT are paid to ensure that the appointments and re-appointments of council members take place in time to ensure a seamless transition from one council term to the next. So, why then are these disruptions happening? Another example of delay relates to establishment of the Aviation Safety Investigation Board (ASIB) and the appointment of its members. The ASIB is organisation created in terms of the new Civil Aviation Act to be responsible for the independent investigation of aircraft accidents in South Africa.
The aviation industry was promised by the DoT that ASIB would be up and running by April 2011. Advertisements inviting persons to apply for appointment as members of ASIB were published in the media around March 2011. We are now four months past April, and there is no sign of the ASIB coming into operation or any appointment of members to the ASIB.
The appointment of a new Board for the SACAA is also another process that should also have been concluded months ago. The Civil Aviation Act requires there to be financial, legal, operational and technical expertise on the Board of the SACAA, as sourced from the industry. When the initial list of members deemed eligible for appointment on to the SACAA Board was published by the DoT in September last year, the Aircraft Owner and Pilots Association (AOPA), the Commercial Aviation Association of SA (CAASA) and the Airlines Association of SA (AASA) all filed objections to the proposed candidates on the grounds that they did not meet the appointment requirements contained in Section 77 of the Civil Aviation Act.
A new list of ten candidates, including two candidates from the industry was published in February 2011. Another six months later, the industry has still to be informed when a new board for the SACAA will be appointed and whether the two nominated candidates from the industry will be serving on it. So, as one can see, there are a great many challenges in the area of administrative efficiency and government/industry cooperation that need to be urgently addressed if the South African aviation industry is to remain healthy, competitive and retain its dominant position on the African Continent, both now and in the future.
