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SUCCESSFUL WORKSHOP ON LOC-I AND UPRT CO-ORGANISED BY ICAO-KCAA-ETHIOPIA CAA

Kenya, one of the CASSOA Partner States, and champion for Emerging Safety Issues Support Team for the Loss of Control in-Flight (LOC-I) together with the ICAO Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Office, and Ethiopian CAA co-organised a workshop on LOC-I and UPRT (Upset Prevention and Recovery Training) from 19^th – 21^st December, 2016 at the Ethiopian Airlines Aviation Academy in Addis Ababa.

The workshop which was attended by a cross section of both pilots and aviation engineers from all the African ICAO regions, was facilitated by experienced aviators drawn from both operator and regulators. The workshop was a follow-up of the LOC-I symposium which was organised by KCAA in Nairobi, Kenya from 22^nd – 24^th June, 2015, during which CASSOA was invited and made a presentation on LOC-I.

The Regional Director ICAO ESAF, Mr. Barry Kashambo, delivering closing remarks of the LOC-I and UPRT workshop in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on 21^st December, 2016.

The programme of the workshop included presentations on the latest developments on UPRT, the 5-year plan of action on LOC-I and a practical session for all participants on a UPRT compliant Flight Simulation Training Device (FSTD). The participants gained useful information on how to handle stalls and recover from aeroplane upsets during this workshop. A simple basic principle that the participants found helpful was:

Detect >> Recognise >> Recall >> React

In general, it was noted that most of the air accidents that occur as a result of LOC-I and aircraft upset, are as a result of the pilot failing to properly follow the above principle.

Of interest to the participants was another simple rule of recovering from a stall, which is:

Lower the nose (reduce angle of attack) >> reduce bank angle to 0 degrees >> add power as necessary in order to level flight

The Agency which was represented by its Executive Director, Mr. Robert Mwesigwa Nviiri, thanked the organisers and facilitators of this workshop because it considers such workshops and in particular, the topic of LOC-I and UPRT a necessity in the 21^st Century aviation industry and operations. The workshop was closed by the Regional Director of ICAO ESAF, Mr. Barry Kashambo after handing Certificates of Attendance to all the participants.

CASSOA

22^nd December 2016

CASSOA gets Clean FY 2015/2016 Audit Report

It was all smiles for the East African Community Organs and Institutions when on 14^th December 2016, the Chairperson of the External Audit Commission of the East African Community and State General Inspector of the Republic of Burundi, Ms. Gererose KIYAGO announce a clean audit Report for all Organs and Institutions of EAC.

The ceremony which started at exactly 1:00 p.m. is the first in EAC where the External Audit Report has been signed in the same year after the audit of accounts. In his remarks, the Secretary General thanked the Auditors General for their dedication that led to the completion of the audit process within the preset deadline. He committed that the EAC would implement the recommendations therein, being well aware that the Audit Report shall be presented to EALA and Council of Ministers.

In her remarks, the Chairperson of the Audit Commission said that it was a pleasure to meet with the members of the Audit Commission and CEOs of EAC Organs and Institutions who had taken the process seriously. She also said that it was a pleasure to mark the end of the 60-day audit process for the ended year FY 2015/2016 in the preset deadlines, and there upon called upon the Auditors General present to sign the Report.

In general, it was noted that there has been a general improvement in the accounts of the Organs and Institutions of the EAC. The Heads of EAC Institutions were urged to get more deeply involved in the audit process, whose aim is to improve on the financial management of their institutions.

This is the ninth year in a row, where CASSOA is getting a clean audit Report since its establishment and commencement of operations in June 2007. We thank the Board and Staff of CASSOA for the efficient running of the Agency.

CASSOA

CASSOA to assist South Sudan to come on board the EAC Aviation Activities

CASSOA to assist South Sudan to come on board the EAC Aviation Activities

A high level meeting was convened on 25^th October, 2016 in Kampala, Uganda pursuant to a directive of the EAC Council of Ministers at its 34^th Meeting held in Arusha from 1^st – 6^th September, 2016 to deliberate on the development of a draft Roadmap towards the full integration of the Republic of South Sudan (RSS) into the EAC. During the meeting which was held in Imperial Royale Hotel, the core priorities and programmes, expectations and obligations of RSS that will constitute the building blocks for the Roadmap were considered as presented by the various EAC Organs and Institutions.

CASSOA Intervention

CASSOA’s role in the integration process of the Republic of South Sudan (RSS) into the EAC will be among others:

Assisting RSS in the establishment and alignment of its civil aviation Primary Law (the Act) with requirements of the Chicago Convention;
Assisting RSS in building capacity for civil aviation safety and security oversight;
Assisting RSS with the harmonisation of its civil aviation Regulations with those of the EAC;
Assisting RSS with the harmonisation of its technical guidance materials to the Regulations with those of the EAC;
Preparing RSS for an ICAO safety oversight audit through mock audits;
Preparing RSS for an ICAO security oversight audit through mock audits; and
Conducting technical missions to RSS in order to evaluate the safety and security oversight capability, that is implementation of the eight Critical Elements of a safety/security oversight system of the State

CASSOA holds two working group meetings annually; one for review and development of technical guidance materials, and the other for review and development of civil aviation Regulations. CASSOA also convenes technical committee meetings (one of the organs of the CASSOA Board) on a quarterly basis in order to review and consider the output of the working group meetings, and thereafter make recommendations to the Board for final deliberations. RSS is expected to attend these meetings through representation of its relevant technical experts.

The CASSOA Board, the governing arm of the Agency, convenes on a quarterly basis annually. RSS is expected to participate in the Board meetings through representation by its Director General of the RSS Civil Aviation Authority and an aviation expert nominated by the government of RSS as spelt out in the Protocol on the Establishment of CASSOA.

CASSOA installs ECCAIRS Version 4.0 In the Republic of Rwanda’s Ministry of Infrastructure

CASSOA INSTALLS ECCAIRS VERSION 4.0 IN THE REPUBLIC OF RWANDA’S MINISTRY OF INFRASTRUCTURE

The Civil Aviation Safety and Security Oversight Agency (CASSOA) continues to provide assistance to the EAC Partner States through it’s Safety and Security Enhancement Programs as per the Strategic Plan. In mid-October 2016, CASSOA successfully installed ECCAIRS Version 4.0 at Rwanda’s Ministry of Infrastructure for access by the office of the Aircraft Accident and Incident Investigation Department (AAID). The CASSOA Senior Information Technology Officer, Mr. Arthur Rutembesa conducted an ECCAIRS Training for end users and technical staff from the AAID office and other Stakeholders in Aviation invited by the Rwandan Ministry of Infrastructure from 18^th – 21^st October, 2016.

ICAO Annex 13 requires that a State shall establish and maintain an accident and incident database to facilitate the effective analysis of information on actual or potential safety deficiencies obtained, including that from its incident reporting systems, and to determine any preventive actions required. The database systems should use standardized formats to facilitate data exchange. ECCAIRS is recommended by ICAO as the ideal system for States in the collection, processing and exchange of safety data.

Rwanda recognises the need for sharing safety information among users of the aviation system and therefore opted for ECCAIRS to facilitate easy exchange of information on actual and potential safety deficiencies. The Rwanda Aircraft Accident and Incident Investigation Division (AAID) office requested CASSOA for assistance to install and train its end users the ECCAIRS Version 4.0

All stakeholders in the Rwandan Aviation Industries in charge of the Aviation Safety participated in the ECCAIRS Version 4.0 Training session. These among others included:

The Rwanda Aircraft Accident and Incident Investigation Division (AAID)
The Rwanda Civil Aviation Authority
Rwandair
Akagera Aviation
Rwanda Air Force

Methodology of the Training

The Training of ECCAIRS 4.0 was divided in two Modules:

The technical module: This is aimed at participants who install and administer the ECCAIRS system. This module covered the installation, setup, and management of the ECCAIRS system. The scope of the module enables system administrators and/or IT personnel to get acquainted with the system, perform the setup and configuration of their ECCAIRS installation, as well as supply basic user support.
The end-user module: This is aimed at participants who will upload the safety data into the ECCAIRS system or interrogate the system for safety analysis purposes. It provides an overview of the Accident/Incident Data Reporting (ADREP) taxonomy, as well as hands-on experience of ECCAIRS as a tool used to code, enter, extract or analyze safety data.

EAC CASSOA

October, 2016

FAA holds Workshop for Certification of Aerodromes in ESAF and WACAF Regions

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of the United States of America continues to provide technical assistance to the African States through its project, Safe Skies for Africa (SSFA). One of the challenges faced in aviation today in Africa is that of certifying international aerodromes. As long as an aerodrome does international traffic, under ICAO it is deemed an international aerodrome and therefore, must meet international standards as specified in Annex 14 to the Chicago Convention.

ICAO to this effect has so far launched two projects in Africa, one in the WACAF region and the other in ESAF region. The aim is to have all African States achieve a 60% Effective Implementation (EI) by the end of 2017 after having certificated at least 45% of all African international airports by the end of 2016.

The FAA supports this initiative by ICAO and for this purpose honoured the request by the SADC Aviation Safety Oversight Organisation (SASO) to hold a workshop on Certification of Aerodromes for African States from 19^th – 23^rd September 2016 in Ezulwini, Royal Kingdom of Swaziland. The workshop which was opened by the Director General of the Swaziland CAA, Mr. Solomon Dube, was attended by participants from Swaziland CAA inspectorate (SWACAA), SASO, the East African Community CASSOA, Angola, Botswana, Cameroun, Cape Verde, Kenya, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Togo, and Uganda.

The FAA team, left to right: Mr. Grady Stone (FAA Africa Representative), Mr. C. Mark, and Mr. Kelly Slusarski

The workshop also provided comparisons on the minor differences between the FAA standards and those provided for in our region in certification of aerodromes. This is healthy for consideration of alternative ways of correction action plans where no technical guidance material has so far been developed. Participants were encouraged to focus on the bigger picture rather than the minor differences. Experience shows that a Best Practice is derived at after hearing/learning the same principles from different perspectives of compliance of SARPs.

Participants during workshop theory session

As a guide to the easy process of certificating an aerodrome, aerodrome designers should be able to determine for which type of aircraft the subject aerodrome is designed. Participants also got to learn the difference between certification and licensing, where;

Certification is for aerodromes designated for international traffic
Licensing is meant for domestic traffic

The participants upon their successful completion of the workshop, came up with the following resolutions:

States should ensure that their Civil Aviation Acts clearly provide for the responsibilities of their safety oversight inspectors
For the States with the CAA acting the role of both the regulator and operator/service provider, the organisational structure of the CAA should be such that there is a clear separation of the regulatory arm and service provision arm functions
States should ensure that their civil aviation regulations provide clauses on exemptions commensurate with the industry and environment while at the same time not compromising on safety of the industry
Develop all the necessary technical guidance materials for both the regulator and service provider
There is need to establish the minimum qualifications and experience for the inspectorate staff
Establish a robust policy on record keeping and archiving
States should undertake to make use of the ICAO software on Compliance Checklists and Electronic Filing of Differences (CC/EFOD)
States should ensure availability of sufficient financial and human resources in order to effectively discharge safety oversight functions and obligations
States should endeavour to adopt the industry Best Practices

Participants during the workshop practical session at King Mswati III International Airport, Sikuphe

EAC CASSOA

September, 2016

ICAO ESAF Launches Project for Certification of Aerodromes in ESAF Region

One of the challenges faced in aviation today is that there are aerodromes declared as international yet they are not in the real sense. It is now encouraged to list the operating aerodromes in their actual status in the Aeronautical Information Publication (AIP). This will improve the picture of the global statistics. As long as an aerodrome does international traffic, under ICAO it is deemed an international aerodrome.

On 22^nd August, 2016 at the ICAO Eastern and Southern Africa (ESAF) regional office in Gigiri, Kenya, the Regional Director launched a project for the certification of aerodromes in the region that were yet to be certified. The event was attended by participants from States of the ESAF region Zambia, Uganda, South Africa, Botswana, Seychelles, Rwanda, Namibia, Angola, Mozambique and invited guests from ICAO Western and Central Africa (WACAF) regional office, CASSOA and Airport Council International (ACI). This project is in line with the ICAO goals, strategies and activities for improving safety in the AFI region in the area of Aerodromes certification under the ICAO theme No Country Left Behind which was launched in 2014.

The theme No Country left Behind has responsibilities for global, regional and State levels with objectives by end of 2025 among which there must be:

No fatal accidents in regular commercial flights
No country with less than 40% Effective Implementation (EI) in all audit areas
No country with an uncertified aerodrome

In the field of Aerodromes and Ground Aids (AGA), only 6 States in the ESAF region are above 60% EI. It is for this reason that ICAO ESAF set key performance objectives for this project in 2016 as:

70% of States in the region to achieve above 60% EI
Certification of at least 45% of all international aerodromes in the region (7 States were identified as beneficiaries – Angola, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Seychelles, Uganda, and Rwanda)

The Beneficiary States are expected to:

Endorse the AFI Plan project for aerodrome certification
Nominate focal points for implementation of the project

Annex 14 under Standard 1.4 Certification of aerodromes gives the requirement for States to certify aerodromes used for international transport. An overview of the requirements for aerodrome regulators and operators is as follows:

Responsibilities of regulator

Regulatory framework
Organisation and staff
Guidelines and tools
Certification and SMS acceptance
Surveillance activities
Enforcement

Responsibilities of operator

Org and staff
Documentation including SOP
Aerodrome manual
Compliance of facilities, equip and services
Implement SMS
Runway safety programme (establish runway safety team)

The certification of aerodromes is carried out under a 5 Phase process (Pre-application; formal application; document evaluation; assessing aerodrome facilities, equipment and service; issuance of the certificate).

During the launch of the project, it was emphasised to the Beneficiary States that their Civil Aviation Act must provide for provision of aerodromes and who oversees the operations of these aerodromes. It was also noted that most of the aerodromes aren’t certified because they have not implemented the SMS – Safety Management System. Before the grant or refusal of an aerodrome certificate, the CAAs will have to involve all the stakeholders (ANSP – Air Navigation Services Providers, aerodrome operator, and handling services at aerodromes)

Assistance and benefits of AFI Plan aerodrome certification project

The Project will last for a period of 12 months and is expected to cost $ 72,886 out of the AFI Plan budget. The implementation agencies will be the RSOOs (CASSOA, SASO) and ICAO ESAF.

Project phases

The project has 7 phases as follows:

the launch,
a workshop for AGA inspectors on familiarisation,
submission of Action Plans for certification to ICAO for review,
monitoring implementation plans,
preparedness review for certification,
on-site visits, and
wrap up mission

States are expected to contribute to the project to top up on ICAO contributions where necessary.

Presentation by Tharkudi Rishi, Director ACI

Mr. Tharkudi Rishi, a Director with ACI made a presentation on Aerodrome certification supplementary programmes (RS, CAPSCA, APEX) and Runway Safety Programmes – support teams (CANSO, IATA, etc.)

Participants were informed that APEX was designed to support airports in identifying and mitigating safety vulnerabilities. Its review is conducted over a one week period and covers:

Runways, taxi ways, aprons
Aerodrome Rescue and Fire Fighting
Pavement and movement areas

Closing remarks

During closing remarks, the WACAF RD said he was overwhelmed by the enthusiasm of the Beneficiary States of the project. He underscored the point that the approach taken is a cost effective one where the States benefit. This is the 4^th out of 10 projects by ICAO that was started this year. He assured the States the support of ICAO in the implementation of the project.

On his part, the ICAO ESAF RD informed the participants that ICAO is going through a revolution since the ICAO Council has over the times devolved responsibilities to the regional offices. He thanked the CEOs for sacrificing their time to come to the launch of this vital project, the first project to be launched in his region.

EAC STAKEHOLDERS TRAINING WORKSHOP ON INFORMATION REPOSITORY AND WEB PORTAL

In line with the EAC Treaty and Development Strategy, the EAC Information Resource Centre (IRC) has embarked on digitizing the EAC integration information and knowledge, which constitute the EAC Institution Memory and Heritage. In support of this initiative the Council of Ministers approved the establishment of a Regional Technical Working Group for Information Resource Centres (EAC/SCMEAP22/Decision15). With support from GIZ, the
IRC embarked on establishing a ‘One Stop Shop’ – a resource discovery platform that will provide a single access point to all the EAC information and knowledge, which is available in various data silos of EAC Organs and Institutions.

The IRC team together with the Consultants from GIZ has worked tirelessly for the last six
months to finally have the following products in place:-

a) A Web Portal (elibrary.eac.int) and Information Repository (repository.eac.int);
b) Guidelines and Manuals; and
c) An Information Repository Policy

CASSOA assists Burundi in its bid to improve Bujumbura International Airport

it is standard practice to regularly carry out maintenance work on aerodrome pavement areas. With the growing civil aviation activities within the region and recovery from war times, the Burundi Civil Aviation Authority (BCAA) has embarked on an exercise to rehabilitate the aerodrome movement areas and construction of a modern air traffic control tower.

The BCAA made use of the EAC policy on sharing of technical resources as spelt out in the harmonised EAC Order CAA-O-GEN004D to seek CASSOA’s intervention in coordinating the technical support from Partner States. The purpose was to get technical advice on the best option of rehabilitating the aerodrome movement areas and erection of a new modern control tower at Bujumbura International Airport following a comprehensive evaluation.

CASSOA identified skilled experts from Uganda and Kenya and the team carried out their task from 21^st – 23^rd March 2016. The comprehensive Report on the technical mission was handed over to the Director General of Burundi CAA on 5^th May 2016 during the 34^th Board Meeting. Four key recommendations were made in the Report, namely:

There is need to establish the Pavement Classification index (PCI) of the pavements at Bujumbura International Airport. There is need for a consultant(s) to be identified in order to carry out a scientific study known as a Pavement Condition survey that will generate a PCI number for the pavements.
There is need for a consultant and contractor to be appointed/engaged in order to carry out design, supervision works and construction works related to rehabilitation of movement areas runway and construction of parallel taxiway and rapid exit taxiway to meet ICAO runway code 4E specifications and separation requirements. The construction works shall include markings and painting.
There is need for a consultant to be appointed/engaged in order to carry out design and supervision works for the proposed new control tower and office block. The team further recommended a control tower whose height shall be at least 21 metres above ground level to be taken into consideration.
The Agency should continue to support Burundi in the implementation of this project through supervision up to completion. This should be done with the technical staff of Bujumbura International Airport so as to equip them with technical skills necessary for future pavement management.

EAC Develops Surveillance Training Course

It was all smiles during the 34^th CASSOA Board Meeting held on 5^th – 6^th May 2016 in Entebbe, Uganda. The Agency Secretariat informed the Board of the developed EAC Model Surveillance Course developed by CASSOA in conjunction with the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority.

The Surveillance Course Development Team convened at Naivasha, Kenya, from 25^th– 29^th April 2016 to review the contents of the approved Surveillance Programme and develop a draft Surveillance Course. The team developed the modular structure of the Surveillance Course and identified Reference Materials which will be used by the Curriculum Development Unit officers during the development of the Course.

Other than the Federal Aviation Administration, the EAC is the only Region which has developed the Surveillance Course based on its Regulations and Technical Guidance Materials.

New EAC Secretary General tackles Financial Woes of the Community

The new Secretary General of the East African Community, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Liberat Mfumukeko, took on the mantle of the Community on 26^th April 2015 upon the expiry of the successful contract for Amb. Dr. Richard Sezibera on 25^th April 2016. The new Secretary General hails from Burundi while his predecessor is from Rwanda.

Amb. Liberat Mfumukeko takes the reins when the Community is faced with a number of challenges, the political situation in Burundi and the funding of the Secretariat being just a few of them. The Secretary General has set pace by meeting the EAC staff in their various categories. On 16^th May, 2016 he met the Heads of EAC Organs and Institutions in Arusha, Tanzania during which meeting he exchanged ideas with the executives. He underscored the point that his aim was not to prove or make his predecessors to appear as though they never achieved anything, rather, he is bent on getting the best practices implemented for the good of the Community. Key among the outcome of the meeting was the need to revisit income and expenditure practices.

As of now, only 65% of earmarked contributions for the FY 2015/2016 budget have been received from Partner States. A meeting with the EAC development partners is scheduled on 26^th May 2016 in Dar es Salaam in order to brainstorm on the best funding mechanism for the Community.

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