Kigali, Rwanda – The Air Spaces Management Cluster under the Northern Corridor Integration Projects (NCIPs) is holding a meeting at Hotel Mille Collines in Kigali, Rwanda, to explore ways to harmonize the use of safe and efficient airspace and lower the cost of air travel in the region.
The meeting brings together technical and senior officials from civil aviation authorities and airlines from the Partner States, including Uganda, Rwanda, and others. The Uganda delegation is led by Dr. Fred K. Bamwesigye, Director-General of Uganda Civil Aviation Authority.
The purpose of the meeting is to review the status of implementation of the Summit Directives on Air Spaces Management, progress made, and challenges to be resolved. The cluster aims to come up with recommendations to be adopted by the 15th Heads of State Summit of NCIPs in October 2024.
Dr. Bamwesigye stressed the importance of harmonization of costs and regulations, expressing concern about the capacity of some partner states to undertake accident and incident investigations in airports across the region. Amb. Richard Kabonero, Coordinator of the Northern Corridor Implementation Projects, emphasized the need for cooperation among NCIP partner states to reduce the cost of aviation in the region.
The meeting is reviewing several documents, including the MoU on Sharing and Fusion of Air Traffic Control Surveillance data and the Operationalization of the MoU on Aircraft Accident and Incident Investigation. The cluster is also considering a roadmap for establishing and operationalizing a distributed aeronautical database system for Northern Corridor Airspace among NCIP partner States.
The outcome of the meeting is expected to lead to the revival of activities in Air Spaces Management and fast-track progress on implementation of Summit Directives on Air Spaces Management.
