O.R Tambo flights impacted by a shortage of air traffic controllers

Stephen Grootes speaks with Linden Birns, Managing Director of Plane Talking about the flight delays that occurred at the O.R Tambo International airport over the weekend.

Listen to the interview in the audio player below.

There were widespread flight delays and schedule disruptions at O.R. Tambo International Airport over the weekend.

A combination of short-staffed air traffic control operations at Air Traffic Navigation Services (ATNS) and severe weather impacted arrivals and departures at South Africa’s busiest aviation hub on Sunday 4 January.

The service provided by ATNS includes managing aircraft movements, vital navigation infrastructure, crucial aeronautical information, and even search and rescue coordination, all supported by specialised training for aviation professionals. 

This resulted in reported delays of up to several hours, flight diversions to alternate airports and further delays to travel plans.

Speaking to Stephen Grootes on The Money Show, Linden Birns, Managing Director of Plane Talking says the latest debacle is no surprise.

"We've known for a long time that they've got a major capacity shortage at ATNS. They've really been struggling to make sure, or try and do their best to make sure that there's enough controllers in place to make sure that flights can operate safely. But that has meant we've seen delays, we've seen the throttling of traffic."

- Linden Birns, Managing Director - Plane Talking

"The bottom line is, they should never allow for there to be a capacity gap. We should never reach this sort of situation."

- Linden Birns, Managing Director - Plane Talking

Scroll to the top of the article to listen to the full interview.