KABUL (SW): The procedures to enhance airspace management in Afghanistan have been finalized, NATO-led Resolute Support Program (RSM) said on Saturday.<\/p>\n
The Afghanistan Civil Aviation Authority (ACAA )signed a letter of arrangement on August 18 that documents procedures to ensure safe separation of military and civilian air traffic. Two days later, the Combined Forces Air Component Commander (CFACC) signed off on the document, which sealed the agreement with the Resolute Support coalition.<\/p>\n
“The effort was complex,” said U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Scott D. West, Resolute Support director for the Air Component Coordination Element. “Military and civil airspace users had to be consulted as we worked to improve the existing airspace construct and develop associated procedures.” <\/p>\n
The importance of developing de-confliction procedures is to ensure a required layer of safety for all aircraft in a particular airspace. The airspace above Afghanistan is busy with both commercial aircraft and military aircraft supporting Afghan national security objectives.<\/p>\n
Maj. Gen West explained the arrangements are consistent with the Bi-lateral Security Agreement (BSA) between the U.S. and the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (GIRoA) and the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) between NATO and GIRoA.<\/p>\n
"After successfully awarding the Afghanistan's Airspace Operations Control Project and signing the arrangement for the procedures of integrating the Afghan, U.S. and NATO forces' air operations within Afghanistan's airspace, the international airline community can safely fly over Afghanistan's territory," said Mahmood Shah Habibi, ACAA deputy director general, deputy minister.<\/p>\n
The de-confliction underlies Afghan ownership of airspace management in the coming years, and it is yet another illustration of the country’s momentum toward streamlining and standardizing its entire aviation industry according to international aviation criterion, the statement noted.<\/p>\n
“The ability to de-conflict military and civil traffic is central to Afghanistan’s effort to take functional control of its airspace,” explained West. “The procedures comport with International Civil Aviation Organizational standards, and the improved airspace construct is simple.”<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
As the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan prepares to take control of their airspace by mid-September, de-confliction has taken on increased notability; but coordination between the ACAA and Resolute Support for such has actually been in the works for quite some time, years in fact.<\/p>\n
“Afghanistan will continue to collect over-flight revenue from commercial flights into and over Afghanistan’s airspace,” said West. “The revenue is sufficient for GIRoA to pay for future airspace control contracts while it develops indigenous, civil-servant capacity to perform air traffic control duties.”<\/p>\n
A next major milestone for the ACAA is the training of fully qualified air traffic controllers, another complex and challenging aspect of Afghanistan’s airspace administration. Plans are underway for the implementation of an Afghan air traffic controller training program. <\/p>\n
ENDS<\/p>\n
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