South Africa’s State-owned air traffic management (ATM) company, Air Traffic and Navigation Services (ATNS), announced on Monday evening that it had entered a commercial agreement with its counterpart in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the Régie des Voies Aériennes (RVA). The agreement, described by ATNS as “groundbreaking”, was signed over the weekend.

This agreement is the latest step in the development of the relationship between the two organisations. This relationship started with exploratory meetings in 2013, leading to the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in 2014. This MoU was aimed at developing safe, efficient and reliable aviation infrastructure in the DRC. Its signing was followed by a number of ATNS projects in the DRC to assist the RVA.

The new agreement, more formally a Master Supply Agreement, covers a series of work packages to upgrade, modernise and strengthen the RVA and the services it offers. In its press release, ATNS listed about ten such work packages.

First place was given by ATNS to assistance in the development of the requirements for the Communications, Navigation and Surveillance (CNS)/ATM Master Plan for the RVA-aligned Aviation System Block Upgrade, an upgrade recommended by the International Civil Aviation Organisation. Listed second was the provision of training to RVA personnel in ATM, CNS and other skills.

The other areas in which assistance will also be provided include (not in ATNS’s order) World Geodetic System 1984 surveys; Obstacle Evaluations and Procedures for Air Navigation Services (PAN-OPS); flight procedure design, staff shadowing and automation for PAN-OPS; Aeronautical Information Publication management; Flight Procedure Design training; remotely piloted air systems (drones) training; and training in supporting technologies, such as cybersecurity strategy and risk assessment, as well as cybersecurity maturity assessment.

ATNS will also provide assistance in three space-dependent areas – Very Small Aperture (satellite) Terminal II equipment training; the integration of space-based Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast technology into the TopSky air traffic control system; and training in space weather.