[ 2012-06-11 ]

Ghana striving to regain FAA Category 1 status
The Director General of Ghana Civil Aviation
Authority (GCAA) on Monday said the Allied Air
Cargo plane crash would not affect Ghana's efforts
to regain the US Federal Aviation Administration
(FAA) Category 1 Status.

The plane crashed into the Hajj Village at Elwak
Stadium on June 2, when it was trying to land at
the Kotoka International Airport, killing 10
people travelling in a bus.

In an interview with the GNA in Accra, Air
Commodore Kwame Mamphey (Rtd), stressed: “I don’t
believe the accident would in any way mar our
reputation in the aviation industry. The GCAA
would continue to pursue the highest levels of
safety and security in Ghana aviation."

He stated that FAA had earlier conducted a
technical review and identified some gaps in
procedures compelling the GCAA to come up with an
action plan to address, adding “When we are ready,
we would then invite the FAA for the audit”.

Air Commodore Mamphey said it was important to
wait for the report of the Accident Investigation
Committee on the crash, to determine probable
causes and based on the report, the GCAA would
improve safety in areas where there was the need
to.

On recent calls for the relocation of KIA due to
its location in the city centre, he said there was
the need to think of a future relocation of the
airport but agreed with the Sector Minister of
Transport, who had earlier stated that the
location of the facility was not enough reason for
its relocation, citing the fact that other
international airports such as JKF, Heathrow and
others are in city centres.

Ghana lost the FAA Category 1 in 2005 and has
since made every effort to regain it.

The FAA conducts International Aviation Safety
Assessment Programme (IASA), assessing the Civil
Aviation Authority (CAA) of each country that has
carriers operating to the United States. Because
of the provisions of the Chicago Convention and
national sovereignty, FAA is not permitted to
evaluate a foreign carrier within its own
sovereign state.

An IASA assessment determines if the foreign CAA
provides oversight to its carriers that operate to
the United States according to international
standards.

The International Civil Aviation Organisation, a
United Nations agency, and Annexes 1, 6, and 8 of
the Chicago Convention develop those standards.

If the CAA meets standards, FAA gives that
authority a Category 1 rating, which means that
air carriers from the assessed state may initiate
or continue service to the United States in a
normal manner and take part in reciprocal
code-share arrangements with US carriers.

Source - GNA

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