CAA sets tough conditions for airline companies

Kampala- The Uganda Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has set tough conditions to airline companies that applied for licenses to operate local and regional flight services.

According to the aviation body’s Managing Director, Mr David Kakuba, the tough conditions are intended to ensure safety and high standards because worldwide, the industry is highly regulated.

“The sector manages risk at almost 100 percent. Therefore, if you want to come and fly in the air space of this country, you must go through very many procedures to be cleared,’’ he said.

 He was speaking on Thursday in Kampala, during the Civil Aviation Board Air Services Licensing Committee public hearing session where six companies were defending their applications.

A public hearing session is one of the conditions, where companies have to defend their proposals.

The public is free to raise any objections against the companies that have applied for either new license or renewal of license with the aviation body.

Mr Kakuba said companies interested to operate in Ugandan must have aircraft (s) which  have  valid certificate of air of worthiness, qualified and competent personnel, regular maintenance records, economic viability of the operation among other requirements;  and those  who  won’t comply, will  not be entertained.

According to Eng Mackenzie Ogweng, the board chairman of the Air Services Licensing Committee, the aviation industry is expensive and only a few players can compete.

“Uganda being a small country, people prefer to travel by road. But we want to promote the industry so that for example travelling to Gulu from Kampala by road which takes five hours, will take only 45 minutes by air,’’ Mr Ogweng said.

 He said companies which applied have been shortlisted   and have defended their applications.

He called upon bigger players to join the industry and compete with Uganda Airlines because isn’t a monopoly.

Among the six shortlisted air transport service companies are Sun Guru Limited  which applied for new licenses to operate private and domestic non-scheduled passenger flight service, Misk Air Limited which applied for domestic non-scheduled passenger flights.

The four companies that applied for licence renewal include   Aero Link, Air Serv Uganda,  Premier Services East Africa and Jobihani Investments.