Emma Kelly/LONDON
The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) regional economic integration group plans to start talks in the next four months with the Safe African Skies Group (SASG) on the establishment and provision of airspace management services for the COMESA member countries.
COMESA, which represents 21 African countries - Angola, Burundi, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Namibia, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe - approved last year the plan for a joint communications, navigation and surveillance/air traffic management system (CNS/ATM) to manage their upper airspace (Flight International, 25-31 August 1999).
At their recent summit, the aviation authorities of COMESA members agreed to commission talks with SASG for upper airspace management services. The negotiations with SASG, which comprises Lockheed Martin Air Traffic Management, Edlow Resources, African engineering company Africon, and former US Ambassador to Tanzania and Zimbabwe David Miller, are expected to lead to the formation of an ATM company which would enter into a concession agreement with COMESA to install, commission and operate a CNS/ATM system.
SASG conducted a study on the joint programme last year, concluding that the proposal is technically feasible and financially viable. Two regional centres are being proposed to provide seamless, controlled upper airspace management - above 24,500ft (7,300m) - . The services will be privately financed with revenue coming from overflight fees. The COMESA approach endorses International Civil Aviation Organisation recommendations, which call for regional co-operation to further global CNS/ATM implementation.
Source: Flight International
