By Aruna Kargbo
FREETOWN, July 14 (232news.com) – After a week dialogue with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), and other relevant bodies in the Aviation Industry in the country, the Sierra Leone Civil Aviation Authority (SLCAA) has ended a workshop for the certification of the Freetown International Airport (FNA) in Lungi.
In his closing statement of the certification workshop, the Board Chairman of the SLCAA, Patrick Jaiah Kaikai maintained that the needful has been done by the SLCAA and relevant stakeholders in the Aviation Industry during the week engagement for the certification of the FNA.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we have come to the end of a faithful and fruitful week which now provides the right facts towards the certification of our respective aerodrome. I will to express our sincere gratitude particularly to His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio for his desire to transform our aerodrome to an international hub for meaningful investors across the globe,” Chairman Jaiah stated.
That the five-day workshop highlighted all concerns and presentations by experts in the selected CAA and that Aerodromes Operators have furthered enhanced the relevant action plans in order to better prepare the FNA for a certification by ICAO before the end of 2022.
That the five-day workshop provided the Sierra Leone Civil Aviation Authority (SLCAA), Sierra Leone Airports Authority (SLAA) and the Suma Group the opportunity to understand their roles and responsibilities in the aviation industry.
The presentations and follow up activities have been of tremendous help towards the certification of the aerodrome.
He assured the Western and Central African (WACAF) and International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) that the SLCAA is committed to the certification and improvement of air transportation in the country, adding that the FNA is strategically located and can provide easy connectivity for international travelers.
He thanked the ICAO Deputy Regional Director, WACAF, Nika Manzi for his coordination and other participants for giving Sierra Leone the opportunity of hosting the engagement.
The ICAO Expert, Anouan Tcho Sylvere acknowledged the effectiveness and tireless efforts being made by SLCAA and other bodies in meeting the ICAO requirements for the certification.
He called on them to meticulously follow up on the action plan that has been established in order to meet the deadline for the certification of the FNA as soon as possible.
The Deputy Regional Director stated that it is now the responsibility of states to consider what has been put as requirements in the framework of their certification and see how best they can work towards achieving that.
He called on the respective states to put on their best efforts in order to fulfill what they have started and in turn achieve their objective on time.
He expressed thanks and appreciation to every participant for their time and efforts throughout the engagement.
