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UAE bans Antonov An-12

“None of the UAE airlines use Antonov An-12 aircraft made in Ukraine, and there is no registration for them in our country. But they are being used for a few flights to the UAE by some foreign airlines, and we have decided to ban them from the beginning of next month. These are very old aircraft built in 1950s,” Saif Mohammed Al Suwaidi, Director-General of the GCAA told Khaleej Times here on Thursday.

The decision to ban the aircraft from the UAE’s airspace was made as part of the efforts to raise safety standards in the civil aviation sector in the country, the GCAA said in a release. The GCAA had set up a special technical committee to determine airworthiness of the foreign aircraft flying to the UAE airports, in cooperation with international specialised organisations.

“The committee conducted a technical audit on Antonov Design Bureau, the design organisation in Ukraine for An-12 aircraft to determine the airworthiness of the aircraft. The audit team also assessed the civil aviation administration system in Ukraine. The audit showed that the aircraft does not meet all of the international safety standards,’’ the release said.

“In 2008, there were numerous incidents involving antonov aircraft, including three minor ones at Sharjah International Airport and one crash in Iraq. That is why GCAA made an initial decision to temporarily ban this aircraft model which posed a threat in terms of air safety, pending the results of an assessment by the technical committee. The assessment showed that this aircraft cannot be operated safely,” the release said quoting Ismail Mohammed Al Balooshi, Director of Safety at GCAA.

GCAA had started applying an advanced programme which particularly allowed the assessment of aircraft registered in foreign countries in order to ensure their safety and airworthiness. Antonov An-12 was launched in this backdrop.

Al Suwaidi said the UAE believed in adopting a liberal policies in permitting airlines to operate in the country. But, through the GCAA, the country focuses on safety and security in the civil aviation sector and applies strict standards in assessing the levels of safety with the operators of aircraft registered in the UAE. “The GCCA will hold discussions with 25 countries on adopting bilateral open sky policies this year,’’ he disclosed.

On the performance of the aviation sector in the UAE, he said GCAA’s monthly report showed that total air traffic movements in the country stood at 51,851 in January this year — an increase of almost 10 per cent compared to the same month last year. Average daily movements were 1,673 in January this year — an increase of 9.7 per cent compared to traffic movement in January 2009 which saw a daily average of 1522 flights, the GCAA official said.

Dubai ranked first with 24,338 air movements, or almost 47 per cent of the total movements in the country. Abu Dhabi ranked third with 7,733 movement, and Sharjah international airport with 5,095 air movements.

ramavarman@khaleejtimes.com

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