As suspended flight procedures pile up, the financial and operational toll of Air Traffic and Navigation Services ATNS ongoing compliance crisis is escalating and disrupting airlines, inconveniencing travellers and draining local economies reliant on air connectivity.
The issue came to the forefront in July 2024, when ATNS indefinitely suspended 226 instrument flight procedures IFPs across South Africa when it missed an International Civil Aviation Organization ICAO extended deadline to complete the paperwork to renew their validity. A backlog of 208 suspended procedures remain suspended.
On October 8, ATNS suspended additional IFPs at Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport KMIA, Pietermaritzburg, Richards Bay and Mthatha, causing multiple delays, diversions and flight cancellations. Airlines have noted that the suspended IFPs have primarily affected flights to KMIA, as reported by Travel News .
