Banele Ginindza
Airlines have questioned Air Traffic Navigation Services’ (ATNS) shifting explanation for widespread flight delays at O.R. Tambo International Airport (ORTIA), after the entity attributed disruptions to adverse weather conditions following earlier statements that cited staff shortages as the primary cause.
The delays, which began on Sunday and extended into Monday, left several aircraft and flight crews out of position, triggering knock-on disruptions across airline networks.
The incident has renewed scrutiny of ATNS’s operational resilience as airlines continue to grapple with the cost and scheduling impact of air traffic control disruptions.
In a statement on Monday, ATNS said the disruptions experienced on Sunday were primarily due to inclement weather, despite earlier communications to stakeholders indicating that staffing constraints at air traffic control had led to restricted traffic flows at the airport.
“ATNS confirms that air traffic operations at O.R. Tambo International Airport are normal this morning, with services continuing as planned,” said Mphilo Dlamini, ATNS corporate affairs and communications head.
“However, the nature of aviation is such that operations should remain subject to constant close monitoring and evaluation.”
On Sunday, ATNS had issued a media statement advising airlines that delays at ORTIA were mainly due to temporary human resource constraints at the air traffic control station.
The entity said staff shortages in the Approach Control, Area Control Centre and Clearance Delivery positions had forced Area Control, which manages airspace above and around Johannesburg, to restrict traffic by increasing intervals between departures.
ATNS also said the Central Airspace Management Unit had been kept informed and would issue updates via the Airspace Management Cell to airlines, ground handlers and other stakeholders.
In anticipation of thunderstorms, ATNS said additional traffic flow restrictions would be implemented. It added that even if adverse weather did not materialise, restrictions would remain in place to ensure that available staff could safely manage traffic and prevent the accumulation of delays.
However, in a subsequent update, ATNS clarified that flight diversions on Sunday afternoon were not caused by staffing shortages but by severe weather, including thunderstorms, which temporarily affected safe aircraft operations in ORTIA’s airspace.
Regional airline, Airlink, disputed this explanation, saying the bulk of its delays were directly attributable to ATNS staffing shortages and flow control measures.
Airlink said 31 of its flights were delayed departing OR Tambo after ATNS notified airlines of staff shortages and immediately imposed traffic restrictions. These delays resulted in knock-on disruptions to a further 69 flights across the airline’s network.
“The average departure delay at OR Tambo was 74 minutes with a similar impact on the other 69 delayed flights across the network. In addition, five Airlink flights headed to O.R. Tambo were diverted because of the thunder showers yesterday afternoon,” said Linden Birns, Airlink public relations advisor.
“Four of those were diverted to Gaborone and one to Durban. These were in addition to the other delays caused by the Air Traffic Control staff shortages and traffic restrictions.”
Meanwhile, FlySafair spokesperson Kirby Gordon said while the situation has since been stabilised, the impact on customers had been significant.
“This was a frustrating day for travellers, particularly during one of the busiest periods of the year and formality and holiday travel. A large number of flights across all airlines were affected, resulting in widespread disruption to the traveling public,” Gordon said.
“This is an issue that we believe needs to remain a key industry focus going into the new year, it must be resolved.”
In a further update on Monday afternoon, ATNS said the human resource constraints experienced on Sunday had been resolved and operations had stabilised.
“ATNS is operating at the required staffing capacity, and this will be maintained for the foreseeable future. ATNS has successfully cleared the backlog emanating from Sunday’s operational challenges,” Dlamini said.
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