South Africa’s aviation sector has been shaken by the South African Civil Aviation Authority’s (SACAA) sudden enforcement of a controversial rule requiring all aircraft engines older than 12 years to undergo mandatory overhauls – regardless of flight hours or mechanical condition.
The decision, which has grounded more than 1 400 fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters across the country, stems from SACAA’s belief that a strict time-based overhaul regime is essential to maintaining flight safety.
The cost of an overhaul in many cases may exceed the value of the aircraft, effectively rendering them obsolete.
An industry with some 300 000 employees could be economically decimated by the ruling.
The safety argument
According to SACAA, the enforcement of the 12-year engine overhaul rule is rooted in one key priority: Preventing mechanical failure that could result in fatalities.
SACAA says it is aligning local regulations with the manufacturer-recommended “calendar life” of engines, which typically advise overhauls every 12 years, irrespective of flight time.
These timeframes are based on the understanding that materials degrade with age, even when engines are well-maintained or seldom used.
The Authority points to international standards, including those of the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the United States, which often require scheduled overhauls for commercial operations.
A SACAA spokesperson told media this week: “Aging components – particularly in critical engine assemblies – can experience metal fatigue, corrosion, and rubber degradation that are invisible during external inspections.
“Overhaul intervals are designed to identify these failures before they become safety risks.”
Withdrawal of AIC 18.19
Until recently, aircraft owners could make use of AIC 18.19, an exemption that allowed continued airworthiness via inspection, rather than calendar age.
However, in 2023, SACAA rescinded that circular.
The rationale?
According to SACAA insiders, reliance on discretionary inspections introduced inconsistencies in compliance.
Inspectors may vary in experience or overlook early signs of deterioration.
The Authority has stated that the alternate compliance pathway was vulnerable to abuse and opened the door to unsafe flying.
“The blanket inspection exemption created a loophole. Safety cannot depend on subjective interpretations of engine health,” SACAA said in a statement.
Incident data
Although no recent high-profile accidents have been directly linked to old engines in South Africa, SACAA claims that international incident data shows a pattern: Infrequently flown engines tend to fail without warning due to internal corrosion or seal degradation.
In 2019, for example, an engine failure in a privately operated aircraft in Botswana – later linked to long-term storage and inadequate internal inspection – raised red flags across the SADC region.
SACAA is said to be taking a proactive stance to avoid a similar event within its own jurisdiction.
Regulatory pressure and liability
There is also a compliance liability factor.
As the aviation regulator, SACAA has obligations to the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and is required to maintain internationally accepted safety oversight standards.
Any serious accident involving an ageing engine could lead to reputational damage, and worse, the downgrading of South Africa’s aviation safety rating.
Such a downgrade would affect international operations, potentially jeopardising South African air carriers’ access to international airspace.
“If we wait for a major incident to act, we will have failed in our duty of care,” said one SACAA official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Room for negotiation?
Despite widespread industry backlash, SACAA appears firm in its position that the rule is necessary for long-term aviation safety.
Efforts by stakeholders to negotiate a conditional or phased implementation – similar to previous years – have so far been unsuccessful.
Still, industry experts argue that the overhaul requirement ignores real-world usage patterns and may sacrifice economic stability without measurable safety gains.
Looking ahead
While SACAA insists its decision is safety-first, critics say the Authority has prioritised bureaucratic control over collaborative risk management.
With no empirical evidence of increased incidents due to old but maintained engines, the aviation community continues to call for a return to a more nuanced, evidence-based approach.
For now, unless SACAA reconsiders or provides a transitional path, South Africa’s skies will remain quieter – and its aviation economy more uncertain.
Are you happy with SACAA’s ‘safety-first’ approach or do you believe there’s more to this story?
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