UK CAA and IATA Join Forces to Support Civil Aviation in Suriname

CAA International (CAAi), the overseas advisory arm of the UK Civil Aviation Authority (UK CAA), has been awarded a new capacity building project in Suriname. The project, led by CAAi, will be delivered in partnership with the International Air Transport Association (IATA). The 13-month contract will see the UK CAA support the Ministry of Transport, Communication and Tourism (MTCT) of Suriname in the implementation of a modernised legal and institutional framework for civil aviation.

Experts from the UK CAA and IATA Consulting visited the South American country last month (January 2016) to embark on the project. They were greeted by key civil aviation representatives of Suriname including the MTCT, the Acting Director of Civil Aviation Safety Authority Suriname (CASAS), and the Senior Adviser to the President of the Republic of Suriname to name a few. The project team also met the Deputy Director of the ICAO South American (SAM) Regional Office to affirm the common goal of raising the level of effective implementation in Suriname and the SAM Region.

Sponsored by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the project aims to raise Suriname’s safety oversight system and regulatory effectiveness to support the growth of Suriname and its eco-tourism industry.  The UK CAA and IATA will support the drafting of a new Civil Aviation Act, assess options for the establishment of a new Civil Aviation Authority in Suriname and set up an independent air accident investigations body. The project team will support the separation of regulation and service provision functions and will review possibilities of privatisation and/or corporatisation models of other aviation services such as Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs) and Aerodromes. The project will also include the development of an implementation plan to support the modernised institutional framework.