Commercial flights at Polokwane Airport delayed, others cancelled

Commercial flights at the Polokwane International Airport have been delayed while others have been cancelled. The airport says it is awaiting approval for new regulations from the Air Traffic and Navigation Services (ATNS), which helps pilots land safely in poor weather.

Gateway Airports Authority CEO, Mokgadi Matli, says ATNS has not yet concluded submitting its new flight landing guidelines for airports to the Civil Aviation Authority.

“Airport and airlines use landing instruments to make sure that there is secure landing in the airports. When you have those instruments, you need procedures which are written by ATNS and maintained by ATNS. So, the situation right now is that our procedures actually expired in August 2024 and there is an ongoing process where the ATNS is submitting those procedures to our Civil Aviation Authority for approval,” says Matli.

Meanwhile, the move has left passengers frustrated.

“It is quite frustrating to be here early in the morning because when I checked in, I was notified that the flight will be boarded at around 07:05. So, if I have to travel from where I am staying to the airport, it means I had to leave my place at around 05:00. So, you wake up early you arrive here but there are still delays,” adds one passenger.