Region moves to establish common air policies

former Cabinet Minister Joseph Nyaga. He will be among regional supervisors of the arrangement by Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and South Sudan to expedite harmonisation of airspace policies within the region to lower the cost of travel. PHOTO | FILE |

What you need to know:

  • The agreement set to be signed this month is expected to reduce the cost of doing business.
  • Bilateral airspace agreements between regional countries are to blame for the recent feud between Kenya and Tanzania.

Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and South Sudan have agreed to expedite harmonisation of airspace policies within the region to lower the cost of travel.

The agreement set to be signed this month is expected to reduce the cost of doing business.

Among things to be agreed on are the ownership of aircraft and operation control by qualified air operators. East African countries are currently relying on bilateral agreements to access each other’s air space.

“On air space management, the summit was appraised of the challenges facing national carriers and directed the sector ministers to strategically address the issue of competition and expedite the establishment of Northern Corridor Airspace,” said a communique released by heads of State after the 10th Northern Corridor Integration Projects Summit in Kampala, last week.

Presidents Uhuru Kenyatta, Paul Kagame and Yoweri Museveni also established an authority to spearhead pertinent matters of the region’s economy, among them a harmonised airspace policy.

Since Kenya is most affected by the current airspace arrangements (its tourism sector was most affected by flight restrictions in West Africa and Tanzania), former Cabinet Minister Joseph Nyaga will be among regional supervisors of the arrangement.

Flying within the EAC countries costs between Sh25,000 and Sh35,000 after tax for a return trip. The high cost of travel is associated with irregular airspace policies and high airport fees across the region.

East African Business Council Executive Director Lilian Awinja said the decision to have regional airspace managed under one control will lay a substantial foundation for a vibrant business environment.

“An EAC study conducted in 2009 recommended that Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania have their airspace managed under one control centre. This will lead to sharing of communication systems, navigation equipment and air traffic management,” she said.

Bilateral airspace agreements between regional countries are to blame for the recent feud between Kenya and Tanzania.

In March this year, the Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority (TCAA) imposed restrictions on the number of flights operated by Kenya Airways to Dar es Salaam, Kenya Airways responded by cutting its frequencies to Dar es Salaam from 42 to 14 per week.

The move was caused by Kenya’s refusal to accord Tanzania designated Fastjet access to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, similar to the one Kenya Airways enjoys in the neighbouring country.