Namibia performs well in International Aviation Audit, scoring 72.31%

Business Reporter

THE Namibia Airports Company (NAC) has welcomed Namibia’s recent outcome of the Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme – Continuous Monitoring Approach (USOAP-CMA), an on-site audit conducted by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) from March 6-18, 2024.

The international audit was undertaken to evaluate the effectiveness of Namibia’s safety oversight systems in compliance with the ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs).

At the closing meeting of the audit held on March 18, 2023, ICAO’s Lead Auditor issued the preliminary results for Namibia with a score of 72.31%. In 2016, Namibia’s overall score was 57.39%. These results were reached after an assessment of Namibia’s effective implementation of safety standards. When a country registers Significant Safety Concerns (SSC) in such an audit, it means that there is a serious breach of safety standards, which can ultimately lead to several airlines shunning the airspace of that country.

The results indicated an overall improvement in the safety performance of the state of Namibia, ranking the state above the regional/Eastern and Southern Africa (ESAF) region average of 60% and the global average of 69.3%. The final report with details will be issued by ICAO after six months. Industry practice is that the results do not usually deviate much from the preliminary results.

“As the custodian of the country’s main airports, NAC was under the spotlight in terms of how we have prepared for this audit, and we at all times demonstrated confidence in our systems, which was key to the country achieving the current score. This score is a vote of confidence in Namibia’s aviation safety systems, a country blessed with opportunities beyond the horizon and very safe and secure to visit by air. It is also worth mentioning that Hosea Kutako International Airport is certified, and I reiterate the collaboration between all stakeholders to maintain the momentum that was exhibited during the on-site audit with the intent to retain consistency in the oversight responsibilities, to ensure a robust state oversight system in the country,” states /Uirab.

He concluded that NAC will continue to source resources for the development and maintenance of airport facilities to ensure that NAC remains on the trajectory to develop world-class airports for Namibia’s prosperity.