Passengers took to social media platforms on Sunday to vent their frustrations about the delays, saying they were not informed of any issues.
The Air Traffic Navigation Services (ATNS) says it is addressing flight delays experienced at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg.
This comes as travellers return from their holiday destinations after the festive season break.
Stranded passengers
Passengers took to social media on Sunday to vent their frustrations about the delays, saying they were not informed and that the delays were not communicated through the various arrival and departure information systems at OR Tambo International Airport.
ATNS Head of Corporate Affairs and Communications Mphilo Dlamini said the delays were primarily due to temporary human resource constraints at the Air Traffic Control station.
“ATNS wishes to assure travellers, airlines, and all stakeholders that contingency measures have been implemented and additional resources are being deployed to stabilise operations. These interventions are expected to resolve the situation today and progressively restore normal service levels.”
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Safety
Dlamini said safety remains their highest priority, and ATNS continues to work closely with airlines and airport partners to minimise disruptions and ensure the safe and efficient movement of air traffic.
“We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience caused and thank travellers and operators for their patience and cooperation.”
Airlink
Meanwhile, Airlink also regretted any delays, saying they are working to recover the schedule and ensure that all passengers reach their intended destinations as “soon as possible.”
“The delays stem from the Air Traffic Navigation Service’s (ATNS) failure to ensure it has sufficient staff to accommodate and manage the normal scheduled traffic to and from Johannesburg’s O.R. Tambo International Airport today.
“Today’s schedule disruptions have had a ripple effect on all of our flights. In addition to departure delays from O.R. Tambo International, the shortage of air traffic controllers prompted a restriction on the number of flights permitted to be in Johannesburg’s airspace at any given time,” the airline said.
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Delays
Airlink said the delays required diverting some flights to other airports, including Gaborone and Durban, leaving the airline with aircraft and flight crews out of position.
“Rest assured, we are working to resolve all of the delays as quickly as ATNS can accommodate us.”
It said updates will be posted online on Airlink’s app and social media channels, and that customers should also check the departures and arrivals screens at airports.
Concerns
In October 2025, The Citizen reported that the Airline Association of Southern Africa (AASA) raised concerns about persistent flight delays at several airports nationwide.
It followed the continued suspension of more than 200 instrument flight procedures by the country’s ATNS at airports nationwide.
AASA CEO Aaron Munetsi said the suspension of flight procedures continued to disrupt airline operations and cost airlines millions of dollars in additional fuel, engine wear and maintenance, crew flight duty, flight operations support, customer compensation and reputational damage.
Air traffic controllers
In March 2025, Transport Minister Barbara Creecy intervened to address ATNS challenges.
The team appointed to investigate the company identified severe shortages of air traffic controllers and flight procedure designers, outdated flight navigation procedures, unreliable communication systems and weaknesses in safety governance as cause for concern.
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