VZCZCXRO7097
RR RUEHDU RUEHJO
DE RUEHSA #0932 0750429
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 160429Z MAR 07
FM AMEMBASSY PRETORIA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8727
INFO RUEHDK/AMEMBASSY DAKAR 1238
RUEHTN/AMCONSUL CAPE TOWN 4071
RUEHDU/AMCONSUL DURBAN 8670
RUEHJO/AMCONSUL JOHANNESBURG 6374
RUEANHA/FAA WASHDC

UNCLAS PRETORIA 000932 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED 
SIPDIS 
 
FAA FOR MCINTRON NANGELO 
DAKAR PASS TO FAA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAIR ECON SF
SUBJECT: SOUTH AFRICA CIVIL AVIATION AUTHORITY IMPROVES 
SAFETY STANDARDS COMPLIANCE 
 
REF: PRETORIA 00152 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary.  The South Africa Civil Aviation Authority 
(SACAA) has improved its compliance with international 
aviation safety standards according to a Federal Aviation 
Administration (FAA) technical assistance team.  The FAA 
expects to conduct an audit of the SACAA in June to determine 
if SACAA will retain its favorable Category One status.  The 
SACAA will be well-positioned for the audit if it is able to 
resolve two outstanding issues relating to civil aviation law 
and inspector qualifications.  The FAA assured the SACAA that 
no pre-determination had been made regarding South Africa's 
status and that the FAA is pleased with the cooperation and 
work being done by the SACAA.  If SACAA is downgraded by the 
FAA to a Category Two, South African airlines would be 
prevented from adding flights and routes and participating in 
code-share agreements with U.S. airlines.  End Summary 
 
¶2. (SBU) A FAA technical assistance team providing aviation 
safety consultations to the SACAA March 5 to 9 told Economic 
Counselor and the Civil Aviation Officer that the SACAA has 
completed 40% of the action items required to bring SACAA 
into compliance with international aviation safety standards. 
 The action items are contained within a joint FAA/SACAA 
action plan developed to help SACAA meet International Civil 
Aviation Organization (ICAO) safety standards when the FAA 
conducts an audit in June.  The FAA technical assistance 
team, reimbursed by SACAA, made its third of five planned 
visits and reported that significant progress had been made 
by the SACAA since FAA's last technical assistance visit in 
December when only 5% of the action items were complete. 
During a March 9 out-brief with SACAA, the FAA team leader 
praised the SACAA for making progress and for the SACAA's 
cooperation. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Despite the progress, at least two issues remain 
unresolved which could cause the SACAA to be downgraded by 
the FAA from its current favorable Category One status. 
South Africa's civil aviation law presents a confusing and 
inefficient method for aviation safety oversight.  The FAA 
team identified both short and long-term aviation law 
solutions for the SACAA to pursue.  The SACAA also lacks 
operations inspectors who are technically qualified for 
certain types of aircraft that fly to the U.S.  SACAA intends 
to hire qualified ICAO operations inspectors while the SACAA 
builds its own staff of inspectors.  If the short-term 
aviation law solution and ICAO inspector contracting are 
implemented before the June audit, the SACAA will be in a 
better position to maintain its Category One status at that 
time. 
 
¶4. (SBU) The FAA technical assistance team was also able to 
help resolve a miscommunication between FAA and SACAA.  Prior 
to the team's arrival, SACAA CEO Zakes Myeza expressed 
concern to the Civil Aviation Officer that the FAA had made a 
pre-determination to downgrade South Africa from a Category 
One to a Category Two without waiting for the results of the 
June inspection.  Myeza based his concerns on a February 22 
conference call held between the FAA and South Africa's ICAO 
representative.  The ICAO representative told Myeza and sent 
a memorandum to the Minister of Transport stating that South 
Africa was unlikely to pass the June audit and that the FAA 
was not pleased with the work being done by the SACAA.  On 
the first day of the team's visit, a conference call was held 
between Myeza and FAA representatives in Washington to 
clarify that no pre-determination had been made and that the 
FAA was pleased with the cooperation and work of the SACAA 
thus far. 
 
¶5. (SBU) The next steps are for the FAA to complete the last 
two scheduled technical assistance visits in April and May. 
These visits will be followed by the above-mentioned 
inspection in June.  Based on progress reviewed during this 
inspection, the FAA will inform the SACAA whether it will 
remain in Category One or be downgraded to Category Two. 
Category Two status would prevent South African airlines from 
adding flights and routes and participating in code-share 
agreements (such as South African Airway's current code-share 
agreement with United Airlines).  Embassy will keep 
Washington informed of the results of these visits. 
BOST