20 April 2011
Maputo — The Mozambican Civil Aviation Institute (IACM) has said it is attempting to obtain further explanation from the European Commission about Tuesday’s decision to ban Mozambique registered air companies from EU airspace.
The European Commission statement is not a criticism of the safety standards of any particular airline, but rather of the failings of the IACM as the regulatory body of the sector.
The Commission justified the ban on the grounds of “significant deficiencies faced by the civil aviation authorities of this country as reported by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in the framework of its Universal Safety Oversight Audit”.
It added that “there is verified evidence of lack of ability of the authority responsible for the safety oversight of air carriers certified in Mozambique to implement and enforce the relevant safety standards”.
A very brief IACM press release gave virtually no details of safety problems, although the Institute must know what the defects are which the ICAO found in the audit it undertook in January 2010.
It said a series of contacts was now being made “to obtain further explanation from the European Commission, a body with which the IACM has been holding consultations to strengthen its institutional capacity and to identify opportunities for improvement in the Mozambican civil aviation system”.
The release said that the IACM and the national air companies “are committed to the development of the sector. Currently a programme for the development and modernization of airport infrastructures is under way”.
This programme includes improvements in runways and in navigational aids, and “a strengthening of the human and material capacity of the regulatory body”.
The IACM promised that, “in coordination with the national aeronautical industry, we will continue the reforms under way in the sector, implementing with greater speed actions to strengthen the institutional capacity building of the national civil aviation system”.
Although the ban is highly embarrassing for the IACM, it has no immediate impact on any Mozambican air company, since the only company that flies from Mozambique to Europe, Mozambique Airlines (LAM), is using a plane hired from a European company, which is not subject to the ban.
A LAM statement of Tuesday night assured its clients that the twice weekly flights from Maputo to Lisbon will continue. These are undertaken using a Boeing 767-300 leased from the Portuguese company Euro Atlantic.
The arrangement is known as a “wet lease” – Euro Atlantic supplies the plane, the crew and the maintenance.
LAM’s statement pointedly remarks that the criticisms of the European Commission are directed at the IACM. It points out that LAM itself has an excellent safety record.
“As a responsible company, LAM complies with all the international requirements and procedures defined by the ICAO and by IATA (International Air Transport Association)”, the release said. “LAM has been audited twice by outside bodies under the IOSA-IATA Operational and Safety Audit programme, with exceptional results”.
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Taken from:
IACM Wants ‘Further Information’ On EU Ban