DUSHANBE, June 18, 2013, Asia-Plus  -- Tajikistan has reportedly been given time to remove shortcomings revealed in its civil aviation system.

Suhrob Jouryaev, the head of the Civil Aviation Department under the Ministry of Transport, says a working group of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) visited Tajikistan in early June to render consultative and technical aid to Tajikistan’s civil aviation system.  “The ICAO delegation visited Tajikistan ahead of an official audit that is scheduled for November this year,” Jourayev noted.

The country’s entire aviation system will be subjected to audit, ranging from the documents in public agencies responsible for aviation in the country, and finishing with tests of the air companies’ aircraft and airports of the country.

According to Jourayev, they have been given time to remove shortcomings revealed in the country’s civil aviation system.  “A program has been worked out that shows shortcomings and measures to remove them,” he said.

The ICAO’s main requirement includes adherence to international standards.  The ICAO’s previous audit, which ended happily for Tajikistan, was reportedly held five years ago.

We will recall that Rashid Dadabayev, Deputy Chief, State Service for Supervision and Regulations in Transport, noted in late March that the risk that Tajikistan may be included into the ICAO’s black list is big enough.

If Tajik airlines are included to the black list and they are given the status of unreliable airlines then these airlines will be banned to operate their flights to the European Union and other countries.  The ban will be lifted only after the country has fulfilled all the requirements from ICAO on all the comments.

At present, airlines from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Armenia, Moldova and other countries are on the “black list.”  Kazakhstan has been trying to get out of the list for several years when trying to fulfill all stringent requirements from ICAO, but it has been in vain so far.

The Ministry of Transport believes that Tajikistan will probably avoid harsh sanctions from the ICAO, but it is not clear how to do so.

To-date, four passenger airlines (Tajik Air, Somon Air, East Air, and Asian Express Airline) and three transport airlines (Khatlon Air, Asia Airways, and Par Air) have been registered in Tajikistan.

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a specialized agency of the UN, was established after the signing the Convention on International Civil Aviation in Chicago, USA, in December 1944.  ICAO oversees the safe and orderly growth of international air services.

The ICAO’s goal is to meet the people’s needs in safe, regular, efficient and economical international air transport and providing with safe and orderly growth of the international civil aviation sector throughout the world. As of August 2012, 191 countries around the world are the ICAO members.