Civil aviation awards to honour industry high-flyers
THE inaugural Civil Aviation Industry Awards, aimed at recognising individuals and companies for their outstanding contributions to aviation, were announced yesterday.
The announcement was made by the South African Civil Aviation Authority (Sacaa), a regulatory entity tasked with ensuring safe, secure and sustainable civil aviation operations.
At any given moment there is an aircraft taking off or landing somewhere in the world.
And every time an aircraft takes off, the lives of people on board are in the hands of aviation professionals.
The seamless nature of air transport belies the intricate processes involved in aviation operations.
As a result of these entrenched, harmonious and mature aviation processes, we have come to expect that every take-off will result in an incident-free landing.
Hence, few of us pause to ponder about who is behind our safe and secure air transportation.
The fact is that behind the scenes there are thousands of individuals who carry out critical duties in order to safely and securely get passengers and goods from one point to another.
Until now, no one has made an effort to acknowledge the contributions of these individuals and companies across all aviation sectors in South Africa.
We anticipate that the Civil Aviation Industry Awards will help change the status quo and provide a platform to commend the contributions of individuals and companies that continue to contribute to the country’s remarkable aviation safety and security record.
We hope that the awards will not only provide exposure and the validation of participating individuals and organisations, but create a process and platform to start documenting essential case studies relating to the continued upkeep of high standards of aviation safety and security.
The timing of the launch of the awards is ideal, as it falls in the year when Sacaa celebrates 20 years of existence, and it also coincides with our country’s centenary celebrations of iconic struggle stalwarts Nelson Mandela and Albertina Sisulu.
Notably, the awards are taking place on the back of last year’s remarkable aviation safety audit results, and slightly ahead of the looming aviation security audit.
This will also be undertaken by the International Civil Aviation Organisation, an agency of the UN tasked with administering civil aviation matters across the world.
The resolve to do well in all aspects of aviation is still fresh in our minds as the regulator and the industry.
A total of 14 awards are up for grabs, making them inclusive and comprehensive.
The awards will be assessed by an independent judging panel comprising eminent and accomplished individuals chosen for their immense experience drawn from various aviation and business disciplines.
We have ensured that we have a wide range of categories to choose from, and the winners will emerge from many different spheres of aviation, as each plays a pertinent role.
We wish to turn this into an annual premier event that attracts the attention of not only the captains of the aviation industry, but every aviator in our country.
It would be an immeasurable accomplishment if these awards could grow into a regional event that provides an opportunity to applaud all concerned.
After all, aviation transcends borders.
A full list of categories, and detailed information about the Civil Aviation Industry Awards, as well as how to enter the awards, can be accessed online at www.civilaviationawards.co.za.
Enquiries about the awards can be e-mailed to: caia@caa.co.za
Award submissions will be accepted until September 13.
The winners will receive their awards at a glitzy event to be held in October.
Khosa leads the SA Civil Aviation Authority as the director of civil aviation.