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THE International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) will next month make a decision on whether to lift the Significant Safety Concerns (SSC) slapped on Botswana aviation two years ago. If granted, the lifting of the concerns will simultaneously lead to the revocation of a suspension on licensing of new aircrafts in Botswana imposed by Civil Aviation Authority of Botswana (CAAB).

CAAB halted the licensing of new aircrafts as part of conformity to solving the security concerns identified by ICAO. ICAO’s December visit will be a follow up on the last mission undertaken in 2013. Briefing the Aviation Pitso last week in Maun, CAAB manager for Aviation Safety Standards, Caswel Stephen said the last Botswana inspection by ICAO in April 2013 made two safety concerns in the areas of aircraft operations and airworthiness.

In the area of aircraft operations, the ICAO visit revealed that major modifications and major aircraft repairs were carried out without the approval of CAAB. This was despite that CAAB airworthiness regulations of Botswana prescribe requirements for approval of modifications and repairs.

However, Botswana through the CAAB has since developed procedures for airworthiness inspectors and recently issued industry guidelines pertaining to the approval of modifications and repairs.

At the time of the last mission of 2013, Botswana had just promulgated new regulations, which were in the preliminary stages of implementation. These were the Civil Aviation (Air Operator Certification and Administration) Regulations, 2013 and the Civil Aviation (Airworthiness) Regulations, 2012 which were promulgated on March 8, 2013 and March 23, 2012, respectively. —Mmegi