As Uganda’s Aviation Industry continues to grow steadily, Civil Aviation Authority has renewed the Air Services Licenses (ASL) for locally based Airline operators with a major aim of growing domestic flights nationwide. The locally based Airline operators that sought renewal of their Air Services Licenses (ASL) by Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Board Air Services Licensing Committee during a public hearing that was held on Thursday in Kampala include Aerolink Uganda Limited that operates domestic scheduled and non-scheduled and regional non-scheduled passenger flights sought for another three year license renewal, AirServ (U) Limited that operates domestic and International non-scheduled passenger flights sought for a five years license renewal while Jobihani Investments Limited/Dream Balloons the operators of Hot Air Balloons flight Safari services in Murchison Falls National Park sought for a five years license renewal. Premier Services East Africa Limited that operates non-scheduled passenger and cargo flights also sought for renewal of it’s license.
During the public hearing, CAA Board Air services Licensing Committee received new applicants for Air Services Licenses (ASL) which included Sun Guru Limited that applied for a three year license for it’s private non-scheduled passenger flights and Misk Air Limited that applied for a five year license for it’s Non-scheduled passenger flights.
In his remarks, CAA Board Air Services Licensing Committee Chairperson Mackenzie Ongwen indicated that it is a regulatory requirement that any air operator intending to commence commercial operations (domestic or international) has to apply to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), for an operating license known as an Air Services License (ASL). According to Ongwen, the Air Services Licenses (ASL) is a prerequisite for engagement in air operations to all new applicants for provision of air services or those seeking renewal of licenses.
We (CAA Board Air Services Licensing Committee) hold public hearings for air operators seeking renewal of their Air services Licenses and new applicants also seeking Air services licenses because they are essentially offering a public service and that is why we want the public to know about issues related with safety and security, competition and the business sense of their Air Operations. We don’t want any Air operator to enter Uganda’s Aviation Industry secretly. Because the Aviation industry is very expensive, both Sun Guru Limited and Misk Air Limited will start small and grow with time and Uganda being a small country people, prefer to go by road but as Civil Aviation Authority, we are doing our best to promote Air Transport Nationwide so that people who are travelling very long distances say from Kampala to Gulu can save on time by using Air Transport, Eng. Mackenzie Ongwen said.
Eng. Mike Ndawula, the CAA Board Chairman urged all the Airline operators to partner with CAA and combine efforts to ensure that the Aviation Industry in Uganda grows.
It is important that we become partners so as to improve and grow the aviation industry in Uganda because we are lagging behind even by regional terms. If any Airline operator finds any constraint be it legal, policy or political, approach CAA and we solve them and that way we can move forward, Eng. Ndawula said.
Joseph Halim, the Managing Director of Dream Balloons that operates Hot Air Balloons flight services at Murchison Falls National Park revealed that tourism expansion is the future for Uganda.
Tourism expansion is the future for Uganda. There are quite a number of interventions that have been done such as anti-poaching, exhibitions and massive advertisements about Uganda however they should be done on a massive scale. In Europe, when one talks about Safari, it’s mainly Kenya that they know because of the massive advertisements. Uganda is starting to pick up and a lot of effort is being invested in attracting tourists but compared to Kenya, Serengeti, Tanzania, Uganda isn’t yet a popular destination, Joseph Halim stated.
