Improve air navigation, COMESA urges member states

THE Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) has called on its member states, including the Indian Ocean region to improve air navigation efficiency as this mode of transport is vital, both regionally and globally.

COMESA Secretary-General, Chileshe Kapwepwe, made this call at the Civil Military Cooperation Training Eastern African, Southern African and Indian Ocean Region in Kigali this week.

Ms Kapwepwe recalled that empirical data and studies consistently demonstrated that the liberalisation of air transport could yield substantial benefits including enhancements in the quality of air transport services and a reduction in airfares.

These benefits, she said, often led to a surge in air traffic volume, facilitating tourism, trade, investment and growth in other sectors of the economy.

Ms Kapwepwe was however aware that this could be achieved through civil military airspace cooperation among the key airspace stakeholders.

She said this in a speech read by Bernard Dzawanda,

Director Infrastructure and Logistics. “Liberalisation of the air transport market at the continental level is based on the Yamoussoukro Decision (YD) which is aimed at creating a single African Air Transport Market.

“The Economic Benefits of Implementing the Yamoussoukro Decision include fare savings, greater connectivity, time savings, greater connectivity, time savings, greater convenience and positive impact on other sectors of the economy,” she said.

And Director General of Rwanda Civil Aviation Authority, Silas Udahemuka, talked about the need to cooperate in the use of the airspace to ensure safe and efficient operations for the public and communities.

Mr Udahemuka encouraged states to adopt the perspective that airspace is a strategic resource to be collectively managed in support of achieving national objectives to best accommodate the needs of both civil and military stakeholders.

“This resource is best managed through civil- military cooperation, which enables civil aviation to flourish and allow both civil and military aviation to operate safely and efficiently,” he said.