South Africa's air traffic control faces scrutiny as safety risks rise

Aviation industry leaders on Monday said changes being rung by Transport Minister Barbara Creecy at the Air Traffic Navigation Systems (ATNS) were akin to booting the stable door after the horses had bolted. The changes brought about at the ATNS included the recruitment of ATNS' high level staff poached by international airports, upgrading of communication, navigation and surveillance (CNS) systems, maintenance of instrument, flight procedures, prioritising and improving governance processes for safety accountability. In a briefing on upgrades to the ATNS widely seen to have put South Africa's airspace on high risk, Creecy said all the recommendations were being implemented in various stages of completion. "Since the commencement of this investigation, a number of other urgent interventions have been identified as critical for ATNS’s continued operations and we are beginning…