1.Mission Statement:

To provide for a safe, orderly and expeditious air traffic control and associated services.

2. Air Traffic Services in Lesotho

To provide air traffic control, flight information and alerting services to all aircraft within the Maseru Area of jurisdiction in accordance with international standards.

3. ATS Organization

The Air Traffic Services are organized as follows:

Headquarters – Responsible for the administration, planning and budgetary management of the section.

Control Tower – Responsible for the day-to-day-day provision of Air Traffic Control, Flight Information and Alerting services to aircraft within the Maseru TMA and adjacent airspaces.

4. Airspace Management

The Lesotho airspace within which ATS is provided includes the airspace above the national boundaries and portions of airspace within the national boundaries of the Republic of South Africa as detailed below:

Flight Information Region – The Lesotho territorial airspace is within the Johannesburg Flight Information region.

Maseru Control Zone (CTR) – This is an airspace extending 10 nautical miles radius centred on the Maseru (MZV) DVOR, from the ground level up to 7000 feet altitude, excluding those portions of airspace within the territorial boundaries of the Republic of South Africa.

Maseru Tower is responsible for providing advice and instructions to aircraft taxiing and landing, taking-off and flying within the aerodrome traffic circuit. The control tower is also ensures that aircraft, vehicles and personnel operating within the aircraft movement areas of the airport do not collide.

Maseru Terminal Control Area (TMA) – This an airspace extending 25 nautical miles radius centred on the Maseru (MZV) DVOR, from 7000 feet up to 14,500 feet altitude, excluding those portions of airspace within the Restricted Area FAR27 and Danger Area FAD30 of the Republic of South Africa.

Maseru Approach Control is responsible for providing separation between all flights operating within the TMA and control zone.

Traffic Information Broadcast by Aircraft (TIBA) – TIBA is applicable outside of the Maseru TMA from the ground level up to 12,500 feet altitude. Johannesburg Area Control (East) is responsible for proving ATS above 12,500 feet.

5. Objectives

The following are specific objectives of the ATS Section:

• To provide, in accordance with international standards, air traffic control service to air aircraft within the Maseru Controlled airspace in order to facilitate safe operation of these aircraft.
• To provide, in accordance with international standards, timely flight information services to aircraft within the Maseru area of jurisdiction in order to maintain maximum awareness of aircraft movements.
• To provide prompt alerting service to relevant organizations in order to ensure appropriate response to aircraft emergencies.
• To contribute to and advice on the development, revision and amendments of legislation relating to air traffic control in order to ensure adherence to international standards.

6. CNS/ATM Planning and Implementation

The ATS section is actively coordinating the planning and implementation of CNS/ATM. The following highlights achievements reached in the planning and implementation of CNS/ATM in Lesotho:

I. 2002: National CNS/ATM Plan completed and approved. Implementation expected planned for a three-phased period of three years per phase.
II. 2003 - 2005: CNS/ATM Plan Harmonization discussions with South. These discussions are now at an advanced stage whereby agreement is expected to be reached in principle on the way forward.

7. ATS News

Intentionally left blank, will be updated from time to time when there are newsworthy items to be published.

8. Contact US.