National Airspace Committee 

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AASA participates in the quarterly meetings pertaining to Airspace matters (including the design of and amendment of airspace) taking note of our mandate from our membership.

Economic Regulation

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AASA is the representative organisation of its Member Airlines together with IATA and BARSA on matters related to the Economic Regulation of Infrastructure Service Providers and Agencies who operate within a regulated tariff regime. These organisations include ACSA, ATNS, SACAA and SAWS.

    AASA's functions involve in-depth consultations with these organisations including provision of airline requirements to assist in preparation of these plans, the assessment of their Business Plans and the impact such plans will have on the regulated tariffs and reaching agreement or consensus as appropriate on the final position for submission to the respective Regulators.

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Cape Town Convention

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The Convention on International Interests in Mobile Equipment (the CIIME – otherwise know as the Cape Town Convention) was concluded in 2001 by ICAO Member States.

    Its principle purpose was to harmonise national laws with the principles underlying asset-based financing for mobile equipment and to provide a framework for international interests in categories of mobile equipment, notably airframes, aircraft engines and helicopters as it relates to the aviation industry. 
    This framework would create transparency, predictability, reduction of transaction costs and mitigation of the risk in international air finance.  
    South Africa ratified the Convention in 2007 when it became incorporated into Domestic Law through the CIIME Act of 2007. However, South Africa has not been included on the OECD Cape Town list. Airlines which are in the process of procuring new aircraft are not able to obtain the financial benefits provided for in terms of the Convention.  

    AASA obtained a detailed legal opinion which identified a number of impediments for the inclusion of South Africa on the Cape Town list:​

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• Uncertainty and lack of consensus on whether the South African declarations have incorporated into and are binding in respect of South African Domestic Law.

• The potential unconstitutionality of the so-called “self help” provisions in the Convention.

• Conflict between aspects of the Convention and certain business rescue/insolvency provisions of the Companies Act and certain provisions of the CIIME Act.

• There are no regulations to underpin the Convention.

AASA is working with the Department of Transport, the lead Government Department on this matter, the SA Civil Aviation Authority, the Departments of Trade and Industry, Public Enterprises, International Cooperation and Development, Justice, Chief State Law Advisor, and Public Enterprises on the recommendations emanating from the legal opinion to address measures and probable legislative amendments required to ultimately achieve the inclusion of South Africa on the Cape Town list. The legal opinion was made available to all AASA Airline Members to enable measures to be taken in their respective States to be included on the Cape Town list should this not be the case.