South Africa’s 40-year safety record meets a capacity test

Sophie Lindqvist

South Africa’s preliminary safety-oversight score was 95.12%, placing the country seventh worldwide and first in Africa, according to William Baloyi, deputy government spokesperson. Baloyi also said the country has maintained a 40-year record without a fatal commercial airline accident.

The figure comes from the latest safety-oversight assessment by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the United Nations agency responsible for international civil-aviation standards. He linked the result to rigorous safety standards, effective oversight, proper aircraft maintenance and continuous training for pilots and other aviation professionals.

The source calls the score preliminary, so it should not be presented as a final ICAO verdict. Even so, Baloyi treats it as evidence of South Africa’s ability to meet demanding international safety standards.

Baloyi also invoked the sight of an aircraft sweeping over a stadium filled with Springboks supporters before the rugby team took the field. He used the display to connect aviation with national identity and with the precision and safety discipline required for such flying.

The economic argument starts with reputation. The government argues that a strong safety record can attract investment, expand passenger and cargo capacity, and support tourism, trade, business activity and employment. South Africa also wants to reinforce its position as a gateway between Africa and the wider world.

“Our biggest task now is to protect our stellar record while building for the future,” Baloyi wrote. His prescription was equally direct: “A strong safety record needs regular investment, strong oversight, well-maintained aircraft and skilled workers.” He also called for risks to be found and fixed before they lead to tragedy.

What does this change for passengers and cargo?

Passenger demand already has a measurable backdrop. The 2025/26 Integrated Annual Report from Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) counted 10.5 million international tourist arrivals in 2025, up from 8.9 million in 2024, which the government links to stronger travel demand.

The source presents more connectivity and passenger and cargo capacity as the route to economic gains. It names no airline, aircraft manufacturer, lessor or maintenance provider, and gives no fleet, traffic, fare, route or capital-spending data. It cannot show whether airlines have added enough aircraft, routes or service to match the tourism increase.

Airfreight extends the same argument from holidaymakers to businesses carrying four product groups. Reliable delivery protects product quality and helps suppliers remain competitive:

• medicines
• fresh produce
• specialised equipment
• electronics

These goods are time-sensitive, high-value or perishable. Reliable airfreight lets businesses move them quickly to domestic and international markets, protect product quality and remain competitive. The government target is to move 1.2 million tons of airfreight through the ACSA network by 2029.

That number remains a target rather than delivered throughput. Meeting it would require the investment, oversight, maintenance and skilled workers identified by Baloyi; the source does not quantify the money or capacity needed.

The workforce constraint behind expansion

ICAO forecasts global demand for more than 2 million qualified aviation personnel by 2030. That forecast sets a global scale; it does not state how many workers South Africa needs, and the source provides no occupational breakdown.

South Africa is trying to build its domestic pipeline through internships, bursaries (study grants) and learnerships (work-based training routes) offered by the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA), ACSA and Air Traffic and Navigation Services. The programmes aim to open routes into aviation for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. They cover a range of technical and operating disciplines:

• piloting
• aircraft maintenance
• aeronautical engineering
• airport management and development

South Africa’s training sector also attracts students from other African countries, India and Vietnam. Baloyi presents that international demand as evidence of the country’s specialised capabilities and as a way to share expertise with a wider generation of aviation professionals.

The policy chain is coherent but unquantified. Safety performance can support investment; investment can expand capacity; and training can supply the people needed to operate safely. The source supplies a high score, a 40-year safety record and a 2029 freight ambition, but no airline fleet plans, hiring totals, course enrollments or capital budgets.

Through 2029, the practical test is whether that safety reputation turns into 1.2 million tons of airfreight, a larger trained workforce and passenger capacity for a growing tourism market. The government says South Africa must keep the sector safe, reliable and competitive while pursuing those gains, rather than treating the score and record as a reason to relax.