ATNS seventh AviAfrique Summit breaks barriers in aviation through collaboration

Air Traffic and Navigation Services (ATNS) Company of South Africa has successfully hosted its seventh annual AviAfrique Innovation Summit that once again created a platform for pan-African, organisation, and cross-industry stakeholder collaboration.
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Breaking barriers in the aviation industry through innovation was the aptly themed summit once more hosted at Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) International Convention Centre in Pretoria, South Africa, on October 23 and 24, 2018.

“This year we look at innovation in the context of digital aviation, which is increasingly important during a rise in global air passenger traffic,” says Simphiwe Thobela, ATNS board chairman. “During this unprecedented period passenger safety, security, and convenience are paramount. That makes innovation one of the most important considerations. More than four billion passengers put their safety in our hands. We must also remember that we contribute to the growth of global economies. Forums such as these help us explore ways to move forward in the digital age.”

Specific topics under review this year included collaboration between African air navigation service providers (ANSP), new technologies such as passive radars as well as drones, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), unmanned aerial systems (UAS), and remotely piloted aerial systems (RPAS), securing talent in aviation, how cybercrime affects aviation and safety, how aviation can harness innovative technologies to overcome challenges, and, most importantly, collaborative decision-making (CDM) and how to achieve it across Africa. 

The international assembly of journalists, panellists, and delegates hailed from afar afield as the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to Côte d’Ivoire and even Namibia, from industry including Thales and Lee Dee, from government, institutional and non-profit organisations including International Air Transport Association (IATA), the CSIR, Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf), Technology Innovation Agency (TIA), South African National Space Agency (SANSA), Civil Air Navigation Services Organization (CANSO), International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), Agency for Aerial Navigation Safety in Africa and Madagascar (ASECNA), and even South African Weather Service.