Federal Airlines (South Africa) (7V, Johannesburg O.R. Tambo) has paused flights to some private game lodges in South Africa pending their compliance with new civil aviation regulations that require all aerodromes and heliports involved in commercial air transport to be certified or licensed.

Contained in the 31st Amendment to the Civil Aviation Act, Regulation 139 (subpart 5) sets new standards for aerodrome emergency planning. It became effective from its publishing date in the South African Government Gazette on March 28, 2025. This follows two earlier exemptions granted to aerodrome operators, the last having ended in December 2024.

In a statement to the travel trade, FedAir announced that "flights will no longer be legally permitted to operate to and from any unlicensed and/or unapproved runways. [This] has led us to pause operations into all unlicensed runways until they comply with the new requirements."

FedAir emphasised that runway owners are responsible for complying with the revised regulations but it was supporting willing owners in meeting compliance. FedAir is also working with the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) and industry bodies to resume direct flights as soon as possible. The airline remains committed to full regulatory compliance despite the challenges, it added.

FedAir's Safari Shuttle transports tourists from Johannesburg O.R. Tambo and Mbombela to Skukuza in Kruger National Park and several private reserves in the Greater Kruger area. In 2023, it expanded services to the Madikwe Game Reserve and the Marakele National Park.

Update on airnav crisis

Meanwhile, South Africa's Air Traffic and Navigation Services (ATNS) has announced that instrument flight procedures (IFP) it submitted to the SACAA as part of a required ICAO compliance review, have been approved for the following airports: Johannesburg O.R. Tambo, Durban King Shaka, Cape Town International, Port Elizabeth, Polokwane, Johannesburg Lanseria, George, and East London.

The ATNS said it was still working on the maintenance of IFPs for Bloemfontein, Upington, and Richards Bay with expected submission to the SACAA by April 30.

Transport Minister Barbara Creecy appointed a ministerial intervention team after South African airlines faced nine months of flight disruptions. This followed the ATNS's withdrawal of 326 IFPs in July 2024, after failing to meet a deadline to submit revalidation paperwork to the SACAA for re-approval.

The ATNS has faced strong criticism from airlines, who argue it created a serious safety risk as the removal of IFPs, essential for operational safety, forced pilots to operate with much narrower margins. Furthermore, airlines were still required to pay statutory charges for these services, despite being denied access, with regulated tariff increases of up to 24%.