Sneaking Planes: Air traffic woes persist as Govt promises elusive radar
Government says it is working on installing a new radar to improve the surveillance of civilian airspace, amid fresh revelations of a crisis in the air traffic control system.
This publication, working in collaboration with Information for Development Trust (IDT) and ZimStar, a new online publication, recently revealed that private aircraft were sneaking in and out of Zimbabwean airports without detection due to poor surveillance.
The IDT is a non-profit organisation helping to promote the capacity of local and southern African journalists to investigate corruption and bad governance.
An association of the country’s air traffic controllers (ATCs) in May told the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe (Caaz) board of directors — as exposed in our story — that they had operated without the aid of a working radar system since 2010.
Transport ministry permanent secretary Theodius Chinyanga, insisted in an interview, though, that the aviation system always had surveillance equipment in place, but was quick to admit that it was antiquated as it was installed a long time ago and, therefore, needed to be replaced.
He also refuted the ATCs’ claim of sneaking aircraft.
“Any aircraft that is of a civilian nature files its flight path papers before departing, so there is no chance of sneaking in and out,” Chinyanga told The Standard.
He said the current refurbishments at Robert Gabriel Mugabe (RGM) International Airport included the instalment of a new surveillance system.
“Caaz have a radar, but it is old technology. The new installation would be based on current generation of radars.The current upgrades on infrastructure should entail all facets of surveillance as well,” added the ministry’s top bureaucrat. —-The Standard
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