Aviators call for conducive environment to enable investment
Bary Kashambo, an aviation consultant and specialist from Kenya, noted that the ease of investment in aviation can be created through the reduction of taxes, and investment in infrastructure around the sector among other measures.
Stakeholders in the aviation industry have called for the creation of a conducive atmosphere for investment in aviation. They are also calling for the full involvement of the management at Uganda Civil Aviation authority (UCAA).
This call comes at a time when Uganda toped the east and southern regions under the Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme – Continuous Monitoring Approach (USOAP-CMA).
This good performance indicates UCAA’s effectiveness in safety oversight systems, in compliance with the ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices.
Bary Kashambo, an aviation consultant and specialist from Kenya, noted that the ease of investment in aviation can be created through the reduction of taxes, and investment in infrastructure around the sector among other measures.
Kashambo highlighted the primary aim of aviation security which is ensuring the safety of passengers, crew, ground personnel, and the public, by preventing any acts of unlawful interference in civil aviation.
He said for any organization or body to gain from safety and security, they must invest enough into both avenues to continuously lift their status.
“We all must believe that it is important to have the safety and security culture and it must be an integral part of the organization. It must be within our DNA that we have security and culture.
Some of us who happen to have been brought up in the early days of aviation, where it was cherished, fortunately we have that kind of blood,” he said.
Meanwhile, the minister of works and transport, Gen. Edward Katumba Wamala, applauded the authority for the excellent performance recorded in the just ended Universal Safety Oversight Audit Program – Continuous Monitoring Approach (USOAP – CMA).
The minister called for more funding of the aviation industry in Uganda, citing Uganda Airlines which he says hasn’t been stable in the market and it’s not fair to ask for profits at the moment.
“I think we are not doing justice to the air industry. We are not being fair in terms of what we give them, in terms of budget and in terms of what we need. We are still far below and possibly that’s why we are hitting far below the target,” he noted.
In a way of recognizing the crucial role of air transport in worldwide socio-economic progress, the minister said Uganda Civil Aviation Authority along with the Ministry of works and Transport are partnering with various stakeholders in tourism and trade, so as to create a trade hub at Entebbe International Airport.
Justice Steven Kavuma, the Chairman Board of Directors of the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority, stressed that the authority is cognisant of the importance of stakeholder engagements of this nature, which ultimately enhance efficiency and effectiveness in service provision.
He noted that the International Civil Aviation organization urges them to annually hold visible activities that emphasize the importance of air transport to the social and economic development in Uganda.
Uganda Civil Aviation Authority will be celebrating the International Civil Aviation Day, honored on December 7, 2023. The day is commemorated to help generate and reinforce worldwide awareness of the importance of international air travel, to the social and economic development of the world.
