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Johannesburg - Aviation rules are set by authorities to shape a framework for safe economic activity, according to Thabani Mthiyane, CEO of the Air Traffic and Navigation Services (ATNS).
"To create and maintain safe traffic in the air requires a smooth, well-organised and correctly operating chain of pilot, air traffic controller and airport," Mthiyane quoted Peter F Hartman, past president and CEO of KLM Royal Dutch Airlines.
"We can gain significant benefits from cooperating with our stakeholders – for our own benefit and the benefit of the industry as a whole."
He emphasised that a businesslike relationship and confidence between supplier and customer are key for smooth management of the sector.
"It is an indisputable fact that air transport is a vital and indispensable global service. It is a means to an end, but not an end in itself," said Mthiyane.
"Air transport is a strategic link to the rest of the world and a major catalyst for socioeconomic development."
READ: Africa aviation faces four big challenges
ATNS aims to provide a complete range of solutions and associated services that meet industry needs and expectations.
Among other things, the organisation is engaged in the runway realignment project for Cape Town with the Airports Company SA.
Other projects and initiatives to address issues of efficiency, predictability and sustainability include O R Tambo efficiency initiatives and remote air traffic services.
Mthiyane announced that ATNS - in partnership with the University of Witwatersrand, the University of Pretoria, Rhodes University and the Ergonomic Society of South Africa - will host the second African symposium on Human Factors and Aviation Safety in September. This follows the success of the first symposium held in 2014.
Subsequent to that, the fourth annual Avi Afrique Africa Aviation Innovation Summit will take place in Pretoria in October.
"As a collaborative communication platform for the local and international aviation industry, this summit provides room for critical insight into developments in aviation," said Mthiyane.
This year, the summit will focus on the impact of research, development and technology on sustainability and innovation in aviation in Africa.
The two events aim to create an opportunity for the African aviation industry and academia to network and combine research with operational experience to improve safety performance.
