South Africa’s new immigration measures that came into effect on Monday, which included requiring adults travelling with children to carry unabridged birth certificates, was concerning to the International Air Transport Association (Iata).

Both parents now had to produce an unabridged birth certificate with full details of the parents, as well as a passport and visa. If the child was travelling with only one parent, immigration authorities required the written consent of the other parent, even if the parents were divorced.

The Department of Home Affairs argued that the new regulations were being implemented to battle child trafficking.

Iata, while fully supporting the country in its “laudable campaign”, said airports were not the only points of entry and exit to a country.

Further, it argued that South African Police Services official crime statistics for the period March 2004 to March 2014 did not mention a “single reported case of child trafficking”.

“From a commercial and economic perspective, the industry is concerned that the harsh and onerous requirements South Africa has prescribed for travellers will negatively impact on the sustainability of air services, travel, trade and tourism to, from and through South Africa,” Iata said, adding that it would undermine the country’s economy – “which is already vulnerable and fragile” – with serious repercussions that would be felt across the entire sub-Saharan Africa region.

The global body said the lack of information flowing from the departments of Home Affairs and International Relations and Cooperation on the questions surrounding their readiness and ability to apply the new regulations, both with respect to accepting and processing visa applications under the new regulations and to the effective enforcement of the new measures, was equally worrying for the industry.

“In September’s meeting with Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba, he agreed to stop the clock on the implementation until June 1, and to appoint a joint government–industry task group to research international best practices and make recommendations on the new regulations and their implementation.

“Its task was also to include the preparation of a communications strategy and toolkit to support the roll-out of the new systems and processes and ensure that accurate and consistent information was conveyed to potential travellers and all other stakeholders.

“For reasons unknown, and despite several attempts to maintain an open channel with the Minister’s office, this task group was never appointed and none of the tasks undertaken,” Iata pointed out.

Earlier this year, South Africa hosted a meeting of African Union Transport Ministers where they committed to implementing a single common market for African airlines.

“In their current form, South Africa’s new immigration regulations stand as an impediment to this and represent a potentially harmful example of a lack of joined-up and coordinated policy-making,” the industry association said.

Iata called on government to act in the best interests of the country and review and, if necessary, rescind, the new measures if it did not have the desired effect and if it acted as a “handbrake” on travel, tourism and economic growth, not just for South Africa, but for the entire region.