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UAE Regulator Looks To Smooth Way For General Aviation
DUBAI—The UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) has listened to calls from the business aviation industry and yesterday announced it is introducing a new framework of regulations and processes designed to simplify life for operators.
The package, described as “a comprehensive support framework for business and private aviation,” is designed to cut the amount of time required for private aviation companies to start or amend operations in the country.
The move comes as the UAE sees a continuing increase in demand for premium transport experiences, the GCAA’s assistant director-general for aviation safety affairs, Aqeel Ahmed Al Zarouni, said during the Middle East Business Aviation Association show in Dubai.
The new package will cut the time, and thus costs, associated with operating in the country. For example, acquiring an air operator certificate (AOC) has traditionally taken up to 18 months. This will be cut to as little as six months, assuming the applicant is geared up to provide the necessary information to the GCAA in support of its bid.
Additionally, the GCAA will appoint a dedicated “ambassador” for the private aviation sector “to personalize support to operators, with a single point of contact for seamless communication and assistance,” Al Zarouni said.
A new business aviation advisory council will also be created to improve links between operators and the regulator.
The new package aims to strike a balance between streamlining processes and upholding the UAE’s high standards of security and safety.
Asked whether the new package had been introduced to fend off increasing competition from Saudi Arabia in the aviation sector, Al Zarouni said, “We cannot ignore competition, but competition is healthy. Competition is something we encourage ... regardless of whether it is for business aviation, or aviation in totality.”
An indication of the UAE’s desire to increase its attractiveness to the business jet sector came in his comment that the country aims to double, or even triple, the current 87 private aviation aircraft on the country’s register “in a short time frame.”
While the GCAA has issued a significant number of improvements and enhancements to regulations governing the business aviation sector over the past year, there was always room for further improvement, he said. This would be one of the roles for the new business aviation advisory council.
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