The United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) has awarded Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and Entebbe International Airport the prestigious ISO 9001:2008 quality Management System (QMS) certificate following their compliance with the stringent requirements for the internationally recognized certification.
The ISO 9001:2008 certification relates to the provision of aeronautical services within the flight Information Region of Uganda to include regulation, licensing, air navigation services, search and rescue, certification of Air Operators, Operation and Maintenance of aerodromes, security and corporate support services.
Other aerodromes operated and managed by CAA in Gulu, Arua, Soroti, Mbarara, Tororo, Kisoro, Pakuba, Kasese, Jinja and Kidepo have also been awarded ISO 9001:2008 QMS Certificates however speaking during the unveiling of the two ISO certificates at a press briefing that was held on Tuesday at Entebbe International Airport VIP Press Lounge the CAA Director Airports and Aviation Security, Eng. John Kagoro disclosed that the aerodromes aren’t yet commercially viable.
“The ISO 9001:2008 certification implies that the CAA has systems and processes in place that meet the needs of customers and other stakeholders while also meeting statutory and regulatory requirements. Quality and safety concerns are of great importance in Aviation and Industry players look at quality management certification seriously”, Eng. Kagoro stated.
“The QMS Certification also cuts costs through improved systems and processes, increases customer loyalty, gives internal confidence that the QMS is based on international standards that can be compared with any in the world, ensures proper documentation of processes, continual improvement and factual approach to decision making and management commitment”, Eng. Kagoro added.
Uganda, Ghana and Tanzania are the only three countries that have been awarded the prestigious certificate.
Meanwhile other projects that CAA has successfully undertaken include the installation of the automated baggage Handling System that has a capacity to handle between 1200-2000 bags per hour, expansion of the cargo handling centre and the construction of 42 police housing units for aviation Police officers who were affected by the Expansion of Entebbe International Airport. The housing units were constructed by CAA at a cost of Shs8billion. Other projects that are ongoing include the expansion of the passenger terminal and rehabilitation of run-ways, taxi-ways and Aprons.
