SACAA Annual Report 2022_23

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5.3 AVIATION SAFETY AND SECURITY COMPLIANCE 5.3.1 AVIATION SAFETY

Transport Agreement signed between South Africa and the United States. According to this agreement, any party can conduct an assessment of the safety oversight system of the other party in line with ICAO’s minimum standards and recommended practices. The final outcome of this assessment confirmed that South Africa has retained its Category 1 status with the United States. The benefit of this outcome is that South African airlines can operate directly into and from the United States with no hindrance. 1.3.2 AVIATION SECURITY ICAO Universal Security Audit Programme – Continuous Monitoring Approach (USAP- CMA) From 15 to 26 August 2022, South Africa was also subjected to a Universal Security Audit Programme – Continuous Monitoring Approach (USAP-CMA) audit by ICAO. South Africa received the final report from ICAO and the State did not attract any Significant Security Concern. South Africa was audited under this new methodology applied by ICAO for the first time. US Transport Security Administration and European Union ACC3 Programme South Africa’s aviation security cargo system was assessed by the United States Transport Security Administration. The outcome of this assessment confirmed yet again that the cargo security system of South Africa is on par with that of the United States. As a result, the TSA granted South Africa permanent recognition. This means that South African operators wishing to operate in the United States instead of US can do so unhindered without a need to undergo individual assessment and duplicative assessments by the US. South Africa’s air cargo security system still enjoys the recognition of the European Union (EU) States as being on par with theirs, benefiting South African operators wishing to operate in the EU.

ICAO Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme – Continuous Monitoring Approach (USOAP-CMA) As signatories to the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation and a Member State of the ICAO since 1944, South Africa is obligated to comply with international civil aviation Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs). The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) under its Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme – Continuous Monitoring Approach (USOAP-CMA), audited South Africa’s aviation safety oversight system, a process coordinated and led by the South African Civil Aviation Authority on behalf of the State. This was an intensive 12-day audit that took place from 22 March until 3 April 2023. South Africa did not attract a significant safety concern and received an Effective Implementation (EI) score of 91,79% – a significant improvement from the 87.39% that ICAO rated the country in the last audit, conducted in 2017. The state is awaiting the final report in September 2023 as there are elaborate processes involved before the final outcome is announced. The minor findings contained in the preliminary report are now being attended to by the Regulator and affected entities to close the gaps that were identified. South Africa’s performance in this audit places the country in the number one (1) spot in Africa and among the top 25 countries globally. US-FAA International Aviation Safety Assessment In November 2022, South Africa also received the final report from the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) following an audit conducted in November 2021 and July 2022 in line with the Air

Performance Information I Annual Report 2022/23 I 69