4 Fevereiro International Airport received on Monday, seven years after the process began, a certificate allowing the airport’s infrastructure to operate international flights in accordance with operational specifications, the Angolan Ministry of Transport said on Monday.
The ministry said in a statement that the certificate was issued this Monday by the National Civil Aviation Authority (ANAC), which is “a milestone for the Angolan civil aviation subsector as the state is now fulfilling an obligation set by ICAO (since November 27, 2003) to ensure that all operating international airports have been listed in the Africa and Indian Ocean Air Navigation Plan (AFI) and certified by ANAC.”
It was a process that had been on hold since June 2015, when the certification of the international airport on 4 February was initiated by the then National Institute of Civil Aviation (INAVIC) following a recommendation issued by the International Civil Aviation Organization in March. 2001 and in April 2017 the process was restarted due to deficiencies identified by ICAO.
The note highlights that as part of this new process, a certification inspection was carried out at 4 Fevereiro International Airport from June 19 to July 10, 2018, during which 136 identified non-compliances were submitted to the management of the National Company for Airport Operations and Air Navigation (Enana) in September .
“Out of these 136 discrepancies, the degradation of infrastructure stands out, especially the pavements of runways and traffic routes, as well as lighting and electrical systems. Also the state of the AIL Rescue and Fire Service [aeroporto internacional de Luanda]including equipment problems, inadequacies in the operation and maintenance of the airport, and a lack of an operational safety management system,” the statement said.
The document highlights that Enana – later Sociedade Gestora de Aeroporto (SGA) – began efforts to address the identified problems, in particular the main restoration work in the traffic area of Fevereiro Airport 4, which, due to the covid-19 pandemic, eventually began only in June 2021.
On September 23, 2022, the SGA requested a restart of the airport certification process so that ANAC can conduct the entire assessment of the airport based on the new standards without ignoring the technical information and evidence of the process started in 2017.
“Phase 1 and Phase 2 of this new process were approved on September 25 and November 4, 2022. However, ANAC performed a full certification review of all areas and found 35 non-compliances, 13 of which were classified as conditional for certification, and 22 as unconditional, and the SGA can send a Corrective Action Plan with a forecast of the final decision, dates and mitigating measures to ensure operational safety “, the note says.
Of the 13 nonconformities classified as contributory factors, the application indicates that evidence of completion was received on the 22nd of this month. On November 11 and 23, two short-term exemptions were requested, supported by operational safety assessments that demonstrate the ability to maintain an adequate level of operational safety until completion.
Transport Minister Ricardo Viegas D’Abreu, quoted in the document, considers the award of the certificate “a proof of the commitment and professionalism with which those responsible for the national sector of civil assessment are working to put Angola on the best international routes.” and earn a well-deserved reputation.
“We are of course pleased, because such actions demonstrate the tenacity with which we work and the purpose that we impose on our actions. We want to make Angola one of the most recognized African “hubs” in the field of civil aviation. And this is how we can do it – purposefully, professionally, with full dedication and as a team,” he said.