Cape Town - South African aviation authorities will review the country’s protocols after a charter aircraft from Angola landed at Cape Town International Airport without the mandatory Foreign Operator’s Permit (FOP) at about 7.30pm on Friday.
The aircraft made its way from the direction of Namibia and was chartered by Angolan airline, TAAG, which operates scheduled flights between Luanda and Johannesburg.
According to Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula: “TAAG Angola Airlines has an FOP which lists all the aircraft they use in the undertaking of their scheduled flights. However, due to the grounding of some of their fleet (for) maintenance, they chartered an aircraft not listed in their FOP to collect workers of the oil company, Chevron.
The International Air Services Act of 1993 requires that a holder of an FOP must apply to amend their permit if there is a change in the category or kind of aircraft, among others. This was not done in this case.
The Airports Company SA(Acsa) activated its operational protocols under such circumstances and immediately grounded the aircraft, while liaison with the relevant authorities got underway.
There was only crew on board and no passengers. The Air Traffic and Navigation Services (ATNS) received the flight plan in line with its operating procedures and accepted the aircraft into South Africa’s airspace from Namibia direction,” Mbalula said.
The South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) noted that the crew had passports and were licensed and qualified, Mbalula added.
Foreign affairs specialist Siseko Maposa said it was premature to be sure whether the matter had any political connections.
“It is far too premature to ascertain if the grounding of the TAAG Angola Aircraft has any political influence or significance. Currently, the matter reads more like a procedural irregularity on the part of TAAG Angola Airlines, who chartered an aircraft which was not listed on their FOP. This is in contravention of the Chicago Convention and South African aviation laws. Regrettably, this is not a new phenomenon in South Africa. For several years, SACAA inspectors have noted a number of operators flying into the country with no valid FOPs,” he said
“Ordinarily, radar systems should have alerted South African authorities the moment the aircraft entered South Africa’s airspace and South African Air Force Gripen fighter jets should have been deployed to intercept and direct the aircraft to a place of landing. As an immediate remedial step, South Africa should launch a thorough investigation to ascertain what happened and hold to account officials who are found guilty of negligence.”
As the public raised suspicions on social media alluding to corruption and criminality, political analyst Professor Sipho Seepe said their perception was not surprising. “We have reached (a place) where lawlessness is tolerated and perpetuated by the leadership. So when you have a plane landing without permission, it doesn’t come as a shock.”
Both Chevron and TAAG Angola Airlines did not respond to requests for comment by the time of publication.
Cape Times