Kyrgyzstan’s Government has imposed restraints on the use of ageing civil aircraft in a drive to improve the country’s aviation safety.
Under a decree signed yesterday by prime minister Igor Chudinov, aircraft built more than 40 years ago are banned from carrying out passenger services.
In addition, no aircraft older than 30 years will be included in the national air register. From 2010 the maximum age of aircraft eligible for registration will be reduced to 25 years.
A government spokesman says the move is designed to remove inadequacies in Kyrgyzstan’s air safety control system identified by experts from the European Commission (EC) and International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).
“One of them is a lack of airworthiness inspectors at the CAA and a glut of ageing aircraft in the air register. Following a recent audit, many of such aircraft have already been delisted,” says the spokesman.
Last September the EC introduced a blanket ban on air transport operations by Kyrgyzstan, as well as six other nations, to Europe.
By mid-April regulators had revoked licences from three airlines, reducing the number of airline businesses to 21 with the national carrier Kyrgyzstan Aba Zholdoru undergoing a bankruptcy procedure.
Transportation minister Nurlan Suleimanov says all the airlines failing to meet regulatory requirements will soon be shut down.
“Under the revised air code, those [airlines] which do not have aircraft in ownership or dry lease cannot legally provide air services,” he explains. “We’ve already sent notices to such companies.”
At present, only 10 airlines meet the stricter new regulations, adds Suleimanov, who indicates that the government is planning to give backing for the revamped state-owned carrier to purchase modern aircraft.
Source: flightglobal.com's sister premium news site Air Transport Intelligence news
Source: Flight International
