South African Airways (SAA) has confirmed that the national carrier is unaffected by the disruptions caused by the re-entry of SpaceX rocket components, while the Air Traffic and Navigation Services (ATNS) says it is fully aware and prepared to manage such disruptions.
"We can confirm that the re-entry of SpaceX rockets is outside the SAA flight schedule. No impact is expected for SAA. The SAA team is continuously monitoring the situation," Khaya Buthelezi, the communications manager at SAA said on Thursday.
The Air Traffic and Navigation Services (ATNS) has also confirmed that it is up to speed with the disruptions caused by the re-entry of SpaceX rocket components, after Australian airline Qantas reported several delays on its Sydney to Johannesburg route.
Qantas stated it had to delay several flights on the Sydney-Johannesburg route over the past few weeks due to advice from the US government regarding the re-entry of SpaceX rockets over part of the southern Indian Ocean, the airline said on Tuesday.
The delays, which lasted up to six hours, were caused by last-minute changes in the coordinates and timing of the rockets’ re-entry from Elon Musk's space technology firm.
"While we try to make any changes to our schedule in advance, the timing of recent launches has shifted unexpectedly, which has meant we've had to delay some flights just prior to departure," said Ben Holland, the head of Qantas's operations centre.
"We're in contact with SpaceX to see if they can refine the areas and time windows for the rocket re-entries to minimise future disruptions," Holland added.
Mphilo Dlamini, the head of Corporate Affairs and Communications at ATNS, said the organisation was aware of these occurrences and the increase in such activities.
"ATNS has developed various position papers with recommendations that have been presented at the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) for consideration by ICAO and other contracting states. The re-entry operations (de-orbiting) of the satellites are planned to occur in oceanic areas, away from continental airspace," Dlamini said.
He explained that the oceanic region to the south of South Africa does not have heavy traffic, however, there are some operations, such as Qantas flights from Australia and Antarctic flights, that could be impacted. Processes are in place to notify airspace users of these operations through the Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) system, as required by ICAO. Most of these satellites are designed to disintegrate upon re-entry.
Dlamini further stated that ATNS is mandated by the ATNS Act to manage the airspace as designated and published in the South African Aeronautical Information Publication. The South African Civil Aviation Authority has established civil aviation regulations in alignment with ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices to support the management and regulation of airspace and aviation within South Africa’s designated and/or delegated airspace.
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