Civil Aviation Authority licensing meeting set in Uganda

UGANDA (eTN) – The upcoming licensing committee meeting of the Civil Aviation Authority’s (CAA) Board of Directors will hear applications from 12 airlines on November 24, when one of the rare meetin

UGANDA (eTN) – The upcoming licensing committee meeting of the Civil Aviation Authority’s (CAA) Board of Directors will hear applications from 12 airlines on November 24, when one of the rare meetings will take place at the Imperial Royale Hotel. Unlike elsewhere in the region, where for instance in Kenya these meetings are convened at quarterly intervals due to the volume of applications received, in Uganda at best such meetings take place once a year.

Urgent applications may, in between licensing committee meetings, be granted administrative approvals by the regulators, but applicants will then have to appear at the next public hearing to submit and defend their application.

Among the five renewals will be Air Uganda’s air service license, which is generally considered a foregone conclusion, considering it is Uganda’s sole international airline, while others are Ndege Juu, based at the Kajjansi airfield, and Uganda Air Cargo Corporation, among others.

New applications have been lodged with the CAA by a number of aspiring air operators, several for domestic and regional charters proposing to use Cessna 208 Caravan aircraft, while Jubba Airlines from Kenya is seeking a license to start non-scheduled passenger and cargo services using a first generation B737. Other applicants for non-scheduled licenses equally have listed ancient aircraft of the DC9 or B727 types, which, while in theory – if well maintained – can still be airworthy but generally speak volumes about the capacity of such wannabe operators using the cheapest “birds” available with operating cost and fuel burns almost certain to inflict some serious financial harm on the bottom lines of such companies.

The hearing is public, i.e., open for observers and media representatives, and will as usual be preceded by a meeting of the Board of Directors of the Civil Aviation Authority. Visit www.caa.co.ug for more information about Uganda’s aviation sector.

About the author

Avatar of Linda Hohnholz

Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

Share to...