ARUSHA - East Africa Community member states have been challenged to build a sustainable, compliant and competitive aviation industry in order to boost trade and transport in the region.

The Deputy Minister for East African Cooperation of the United Republic of Tanzania, Mohammed Aboud says the aviation officials in the five EAC member countries need to come up with new strategies to make the industry more competitive and vibrant.

He says said the issues to be addressed by the symposium should form part of the strategic planning in the next EAC Five Year Development Strategy for civil aviation in the EAC.

Aboud was speaking yesterday during a one-day Aviation Symposium at the Naura Springs Hotel in Arusha Tanzania.

The EAC Deputy Secretary General in charge of Planning and Infrastructure, Mr. Alloys Mutabingwa affirmed that the aspiration of the region for civil aviation is to ensure that the region implements in a sustainable way the international standards developed by International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and that the region achieves Category 1 of the USA FAA International Air Safety Assessment Programme.

Mutabingwa noted that by implementing the international standards, the region’s operators will be assured of better access markets in the USA, Europe as well as anywhere in the world where safety compliance may be strictly required for authorization of operations.

He said "this will also help to create conducive environment for attracting investment in the region in aviation as well as in other areas of production and business”.

The symposium organized by the East African Community Civil Aviation Safety and Security Oversight Agency (CASSOA) in collaboration with the EAC Secretariat and Partner States Civil Aviation Authorities was held under the theme "Aviation- Linking EAC and the World Safely and Efficiently”.

The symposium was held as part of the many activities commemorating the 10th Anniversary of the East African Community.

Citizen Daily