A delegation from Malawi comprising of the Malawi Civil Aviation Authority and the Ministry of Transport and Public Works had a two-day benchmarking visit to the Zambia Civil Aviation Authority.
The objective of the visit was for the Malawi Civil Aviation Authority to conduct a benchmarking exercise of Aerodromes and Air Navigation Standards to appreciate the Zambia Civil Aviation system and conduct a visit to the Air Navigation Service Provider and Airport facilities at the Kenneth Kaunda International Airport (KKIA).
Speaking during the meeting, the Zambia Civil Aviation Authority Director Aerodrome Safety and Security, Eng. Nathan Kaluba said Zambia was honoured to host the Malawian delegation and share best practices from the vast technical expertise that the Zambia CAA has.
“Zambia CAA has scored many strides over the years and is taking a leading role in assisting other States in the provision of safety and security oversight. Through these collaborations between States, the realization of a safe skies for the region may be achieved and ensure that “No State is left behind”. I am therefore optimistic that this visit will yield positive results as we share best practices between the two CAAs present today”, he added.
And the Malawi delegation leader, Mr. Fredrick Chisepeya who is the Director Aerodromes & Air Navigation Standards congratulated the Zambia Civil Aviation Authority for a preliminary score of 73.48% Effective Implementation in the just ended International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Universal Safety Oversight Programme Continuous Monitoring Approach (USOAP CMA) Audit.
“The positive score Zambia achieved is a huge encouragement to all African States as it is a demonstration of our ethos of “No Country Left behind’”. He said Zambia has inspired hope in other African States as it has demonstrated improvement in the overall safety oversight ecosystem.
The Benchmarking visit focused on:
The review of the Legal Framework (Primary Aviation Act; Specific Operating Regulations and Technical Guidance Materials);
The review of the ICAO Online Framework;
The review of the Zambia and Malawi
Self-Assessment
The ICAO State Aviation Activity Questionnaire, one of the major tools required for conducting a systems approach-based safety oversight audit of all Contracting States
Reviewing Corrective Action Plans; Aeronautical Information well as Training of Aviation Experts & Inspectorate teams.
The Malawi CAA also learned from the experience of ZCAA as it prepared for the 2024 ICAO Audit as well as consider the possibility of developing Memorandum of Cooperation in various areas.
The delegation also undertook a visit to Zambia Airports Corporation Limited specifically targeting to learn from the Air Navigation Service Provider and appreciate various operational and strategic issues at Kenneth Kaunda International Airport.