Flights at the King Phalo Airport in East London resumed after severe weather conditions disrupted the airport’s navigation systems for two days.
The Air Traffic and Navigation Services (ATNS) has been given until Monday to come up with a turnaround strategy to address the backlog in instrument flight procedures which left hundreds of passengers stranded at the airport on Wednesday and Thursday.
This comes after hundreds of irate East London passengers waited hopelessly at the airport for news on their flights on Thursday evening.
Groups of passengers stared at the arrivals and departures board hoping for good news, and others filled the restaurants and waiting areas while contemplating abandoning their trips.
Passengers had been stranded since operations came to a standstill late on Wednesday and the queues of frustrated passengers only grew longer.
Provincial transport spokesperson Unathi Binqose on Friday morning confirmed that flights in East London were back on track.
“Problems made it impossible for any flights to land or take off at the airport.
“Dozens of travellers were left stranded and frustrated.
“Weather conditions have improved significantly today, the skies have cleared and flights are back in the skies.
“Our colleagues at ATNS are working around the clock to have their navigation systems challenges resolved,” he said.
Airports Company South Africa (Acsa) also confirmed that operations were normal at the airport on Friday.
“Should weather conditions however change, passengers are encouraged to contact their respective airlines for further flight information,” Acsa said.
“We thank you for your understanding and patience during this time.”
The crisis prompted transport minister Barbara Creecy to hold an emergency meeting on Thursday evening with business industry association representatives from the Board of Airline Representatives of SA, Airports and Aerodrome Association of Southern Africa, Airline Association of Southern Africa, Lanseria International Airport, SA Civil Aviation Authority (Sacaa), ATNS and Airports Company SA.
The meeting concluded at 8pm.
Creecy has given ATNS until Monday to come up with a turnaround strategy after an oversight meeting was held on Tuesday, where the authority was instructed to develop a comprehensive plan with realistic time frames, the technical capacity required, and costings.
Transport spokesperson Collen Msibi said the industry was taken through the comprehensive Flight Procedure Plan per airport, as well as the categories of instrument flight procedures and their status in terms of those already approved and those pending approval by Sacaa.
The meeting resolved that passenger and airline safety remained the priority, and as such:
- Safety must not be compromised in the design and approval of flight procedures;
- The aviation industry be given an opportunity until Monday to comment on ATNS’s turnaround strategy;
- ATNS must update the aviation industry and the minister on progress in implementing the plan, every two weeks;
- Identify critical instrument flight procedures that require immediate attention and those that will be dealt with at a later stage.
Creecy expressed her apology to the travelling public for the delays and inconvenience caused.
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