S. Sudan needs to meet four conditions to regain control of airspace

The Minister of Transport Madut Biar said on Monday that the country needs to establish the Civil Aviation Act, Accident and Incident Investigation Bill, Air Traffic Management System and Civil Authority to be financially autonomous in order to take over full control of airspace from neighboring Sudan.
Madut Biar, Minister of Transport

By Awan Achiek

The Minister of Transport Madut Biar said on Monday that the country needs to establish the Civil Aviation Act, Accident and Incident Investigation Bill, Air Traffic Management System and Civil Authority to be financially autonomous in order to take over full control of airspace from neighboring Sudan.

“We have four conditions that the Republic of South Sudan must meet before we take over our airspace. One is this bill, legal framework, and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), which is the global organization, has already contributed to this bill,” Biar said while addressing lawmakers during the passage of the Civil Aviation bill in Juba.

He said the Accident and Incident Investigation bill will establish a corporate body to investigate, prevent, regulate as well as oversee the management of aircraft accidents that occur in the country.

Biar disclosed that the government was supposed to take full control the Air Traffic Management System this year to pay contractors.

 “Number three, is the facility, we have already completed the Air Traffic Management System (ATM).  Most of you may have seen the building after you leave Crown Hotel going to the side of the airport. You are supposed to take it this year,” he said, adding the Chinese firm China Harbor Engineering Company (CHEC) needs payment from the government in order for the handover of the facility to take place.

Biar said that handover of the ATMS facility to the government should take place within period of 365 days.

He said this period would ensure enough time for trial operation to determine whether there are defects that need to be fixed within a year.

Biar said that they are now left with a period of 3 months to complete this exercise, adding that the period for trial operation to fix defects could be lost in case the government fails to meet it’s obligations to the contractor.

 “If we don’t pay the contractor in order for the civil aviation to take over, we are going to lose the trial operation and that will be actually on the government of South Sudan not the contractor because it is within the contract,” he disclosed.

Biar reaffirmed the government’s readiness to clear the arrears owed the contractor on time.

He said that the South Sudan Civil Aviation Authority must be financially autonomous to take full control of the Air Traffic Management System so it could collect the revenues at the airport.

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