Question NW3427 to the Minister of Transport
10 November 2017 - NW3427
Hadebe, Mr TZ to ask the Minister of Transport
With reference to his reply to question 2551 on 4 September 2017 pertaining to the grounding of aircraft on 18 August 2017 and 19 August 2017, (a) why was the SAA aircraft in question not in possession of a Foreign Operator’s Permit, (b) what is being done to ensure that this is not repeated and (c) what audit has been conducted to ensure that all aircraft have up-to-date Foreign Operator’s Permits in future?
Reply:
South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA)
((a) Foreign Operator’s Permits (FOP) are only issued to foreign air operators by the State they wish to operate. In this case SAA needs to comply with other State’s requirements in terms of FOPs. South African air operators needs to be in possession of an Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC) in terms of the Civil Aviation Regulations, and therefore SACAA does not have a jurisdiction on the FOP issued by Foreign States. The air operator namely, SAA, will therefore be in an ideal position to respond to this question.
(b) Based on the previous response this question will be best responded to by the operator or National Treasury.
(c) The SACAA conducts scheduled and random safety oversight audits and/or inspections on foreign air operators that operate in South Africa. This audit extends to all foreign aircraft flying into and out of South Africa. It is during these inspections that we verify whether the foreign aircraft are in possession of the required permit or generally qualify with all other safety and security regulations in terms of the Civil Aviation Regulations of South Africa.
In addition, the SACAA on 2 August 2017 hosted a Round Table with all Foreign Operators to educate them on all the requirements for an FOP and how to comply with the South African regulations in this regard. NW3819E