Air Traffic and Navigation Services (ATNS), the South African state-owned company that provides air traffic control and weather operations across more than 6% of the world's airspace and supports satellite communications for 33 African states, has issued a request for quotes seeking cyber-forensics firms, according to public documents. The incident involves ransomware-linked malware found in the operational technology environment supporting weather-related air traffic services at Port Elizabeth Airport (FAPE), with a second suspected incident — possible insider cyber theft — at Maputo International Airport (FAMM) in Mozambique. ATNS says its technical teams implemented containment and malware removal but that a comprehensive forensic investigation is required to establish root cause, extent of compromise and residual risk, and it is not ruling out employee involvement; its spokesperson declined to date the incident beyond "the current financial year". Forensic services were requested from 18 September, and the agency has 21 aerodromes and more than 1,000 staff. The disclosure lands weeks after commercial aviation's own reminder: a UK flight-data system failure in September caused close to 2,000 cancelled or delayed flights, though authorities there ruled out a cyberattack.

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