On the sidelines of the 57th Annual General Assembly of the African Airlines Association (AFRAA), held late last year, African Pilot Magazine spoke with Mabitsi Legodi, Head of Business Development at Air Traffic and Navigation Services South Africa (ATNS), about the organisation’s role within South Africa, its growing footprint across the continent and progress in stabilising and rebuilding critical air navigation services.
Legodi explains that ATNS’s presence at AFRAA reflects the organisation’s regional role and its relationship with African airlines beyond South Africa’s borders. AFRAA is viewed as a strategic partner, both in supporting service delivery across the continent and in providing market intelligence that informs ATNS’s broader business development strategy.
Mandate at home, growth beyond South Africa
ATNS is a state-owned entity established to provide air navigation services within South Africa. Legodi notes that its domestic mandate is defined by legislation, with ATNS responsible for delivering air traffic control and associated navigation services across the country.
However, financial sustainability has required the organisation to expand beyond national borders. As a result, ATNS now offers a range of services across the continent that are unbundled from the traditional air navigation service provider value chain. While the core sovereign function of air navigation services typically remains with governments, ATNS supports other states by providing selected elements of that value chain rather than acting as the designated ANSP.
Outside South Africa, customers can select specific services based on their needs and constraints. These include training, infrastructure support, flight procedure design, technical services and advisory functions. Within South Africa, by contrast, ATNS provides the full end-to-end service, from infrastructure and training through to operational delivery.
Recent regional agreements
Legodi highlights a series of recent agreements with neighbouring countries, with the most recent involving Zambia. ATNS is supporting the rehabilitation of an airport in Ndola, assisting with the transition from the old facility to the new one. This work includes managing the transition process, designing flight procedures and conducting WGS-84 surveys.
In Zimbabwe, ATNS has concluded work covering three major airports and is currently engaged in discussions around further infrastructure-related developments in Harare and other parts of the country.
Infrastructure support and service transition
Legodi explains that ATNS does not manufacture infrastructure, as it is not an OEM. Instead, the organisation works through strategic partnerships with OEMs. Where a client procures systems from an OEM familiar to ATNS, the organisation supports installation, system setup and maintenance training for local personnel.
In Zambia, the work includes both infrastructure-related support and service transition. On the service side, this involves managing the shift from existing arrangements to new operational environments. This includes training personnel and designing new flight procedures for the new airport. ATNS has completed the initial survey phase and is currently engaged in flight procedure design for the facility.
Progress on domestic challenges
Turning to challenges at home, Legodi acknowledges the criticism ATNS has faced but points to tangible progress. The organisation’s performance during the G20 is cited as evidence of improved stability and resilience.
Legodi indicates that ATNS has addressed many of the risks and challenges experienced in the past and assesses overall recovery at approximately 80 percent complete. All primary flight procedures required to serve major customers at South African airports are now in place, with work continuing on secondary and alternate procedures.
At the time of the interview, the only outstanding item related to Polokwane, where the relevant flight procedures had been designed and submitted as part of the regulatory approval process. These procedures subsequently became effective on 25 December 2025, completing the regulatory process with no further action required from ATNS.
Capacity rebuilding and the year ahead
Looking ahead, Legodi notes that ATNS, like many organisations in the aviation sector, has been affected by skills attrition, particularly among air traffic controllers and flight procedure design specialists. Rebuilding capacity has therefore been a central focus.
ATNS is targeting full operational capacity by July 2026. At present, staffing levels across many regions are at around 80 percent, which Legodi describes as the minimum required to operate services without resource-related interruptions. Efforts are ongoing to complete the capacitation process.
On the flight procedure design side, ATNS is consulting with industry on the withdrawal of procedures that are no longer required, while also developing a long-term maintenance plan. A project management-based approach has been introduced to manage procedures throughout their lifecycle.
Legodi adds that ATNS is working closely with the regulator to ensure that, as procedures expire, there is a structured and managed transition from old procedures to new or revised ones.
Governance and regulatory independence
ATNS operates under the Department of Transport and is regulated by the South African Civil Aviation Authority, which also falls under the same ministry. Legodi addresses concerns around governance and regulatory independence, emphasising that safety has not been compromised.
He notes that ATNS has followed the required regulatory processes throughout its recovery and that there has been no preferential treatment due to shared oversight structures. Clear lines of responsibility have been maintained, and regulatory requirements have been fully respected.
Understanding instrument flight procedures
Legodi explains instrument flight procedures by likening them to maps. As aircraft approach, land at or depart from an airport, published procedures guide pilots through defined routes and actions. These procedures are documented, published and made available to all airspace users.
In addition to airport-specific procedures, there are en-route procedures that link major airports, such as Johannesburg and Cape Town, and connect South Africa with neighbouring countries, including Botswana and Mozambique, through designated exit points.
These procedures require regular updating to reflect changes in infrastructure, airspace design and regulatory standards, which has formed a significant part of ATNS’s recent workload.
Legodi notes that Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs) are a normal part of aviation operations and can relate to a wide range of issues, from airport fuel availability to planned infrastructure maintenance.
During periods of change or disruption, NOTAMs are used to inform industry stakeholders of withdrawn or unavailable procedures and to manage operational risk. In ATNS’s case, NOTAMs were issued to notify airspace users when specific flight procedures were withdrawn and to indicate the duration of those withdrawals.
In closing, Legodi describes ATNS as a major navigation service provider within the region and underscores the organisation’s commitment to regional cooperation. ATNS’s presence at AFRAA also reflects its support for TAAG and Angola as members of the Southern African Development Community.
