South African State-owned Air Traffic and Navigation Services (ATNS) has retained its Level 2 recognition under the Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation (Canso) GreenATM environmental accreditation programme.

The programme provides a structured framework for evaluating the progress of air navigation service providers in improving and maintaining environmental sustainability and operational efficiency.

ATNS strengthened its Level 2 standing by demonstrating consistent progress across multiple focus areas, it says.

ATNS achieved full points in the meteorological information category by demonstrating the availability of meteorological information tools for tactical operations. It has also established procedures for integrating meteorological information into strategic and pre-tactical planning.

ATNS secured additional points in the airport collaborative decision-making category owing to the continued collaboration between ATNS and airport stakeholders, which is aimed at effectively managing disruptions and peak traffic periods.

Further, the national air navigation service provider also demonstrated measurable improvements in the air traffic management efficiency category, which is being driven by ongoing initiatives and its operational efficiency programme.

ATNS, in the organisational culture category, was commended for its continued efforts to embed environmental sustainability into its organisational culture by encouraging staff to participate in environmental initiatives and strengthening its internal capacity.

Maintaining the Level 2 status reflects ATNS’ long-standing commitment to environmental sustainability since 2013, says ATNS acting CEO Matome Moholola.

“As focus on reducing environmental impact and addressing climate change intensifies worldwide, participation in this programme validates ATNS’ commitment to sustainable practices.

“The programme has also provided valuable insights into areas where we can further strengthen our environmental initiatives. We remain dedicated to collaborating with industry partners and airspace users as we work towards a more sustainable aviation future,” he says.

“ATNS has reached an important milestone with their Level 2 accreditation in our GreenATM programme. Their efforts to adopt more sustainable practices demonstrate a genuine commitment to reducing aviation’s environmental impact,” says Canso director-general Simon Hocquard.

Further, ATNS is also a founding member of the Green Aviation Insights programme, led by the UK National Air Traffic Services, which seeks to enhance global collaboration in reducing aviation’s environmental footprint.

The programme focuses on developing a shared data and analytics platform tailored for air navigation service providers to measure airspace efficiency and support sustainable air traffic management.