- The government of South Sudan has signed a contract with airspace management specialist NavPass, to set up ground infrastructure to boost the country’s capacity to manage air traffic.
- South Sudan’s Minister for Transport Madut Biar Yel stated that revamping the aviation infrastructure is expected to attract more airlines and investment to the country.
Years of political instability left South Sudan’s air navigation infrastructure primitive. Its obsolete and minimal air navigation infrastructure was unable to detect aircraft flying over large swathes of its territory. This not only creates safety gaps, but also leads to loss of revenue from over flight fees.
To rectify the situation, the South Sudan government has decided to revamp its air infrastructure. The government of South Sudan has signed a contract with airspace management specialist NavPass, to set up ground infrastructure to boost the country’s capacity to manage air traffic. South Sudan’s Minister for Transport Madut Biar Yel stated that revamping the aviation infrastructure is expected to attract more airlines and investment to the country.
The technology will help the country to capture the movement of all aircraft in the country’s skies in real time, facilitating the fee collection process. Thomas Perkins, CEO of NavPass said that the revenues collected will be transferred into an escrow account and will be invested to develop aviation infrastructure.
The deal also includes trainin air traffic control officers, establishing new protocols with neighbouring airspaces, and improving communications equipment. NavPass will train South Sudan’s civil aviation staff to enable the country achieve compliance with International Civil Aviation Organisation safety standards. The initial work of NavPass will be to work with the government to optimise its lower airspace, covering the departures and arrivals of flights into Juba and make efficient and safe. With the support of the NavPass system, air traffic control towers will be able to see the aircraft in their skies for the first time.
