Following a comprehensive survey of more than 100 stakeholders in the African aviation industry, SITA today confirmed the delivery of data to ICAO on the capacity and demand for aviation training in Africa.

The online database, developed at the request of ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization), is part of the Comprehensive Regional Implementation Plan for Aviation Safety in Africa (Africa-Indian Ocean (AFI) Plan). It was prepared by SITA with the assistance of air traffic management consultancy, Helios.

The AFI Plan  addresses the concerns expressed by the ICAO Council on the safety status of aircraft operations in the AFI Region. The Council recognized that the problems facing the States in the AFI Region and many other States are similar in nature.

The SITA/Helios team worked closely with the AFI Training Experts Working Group to design a survey that would assess the aviation training needs and resources of the Continent and to ensure that the data collected would inform future roadmaps for training harmonization.

Rob Watkins, SITA Regional Vice President, Africa, speaking at the ICAO regional seminar in Mozambique, said: “This survey has been a significant undertaking. More than 100 detailed responses were gathered from, training organisations, regulators, air navigation service providers, airlines and maintenance organisations across Africa.

“SITA’s in-country experts ensured that a wide cross section of stakeholders responded fully, guaranteeing that the information gathered will be put to good use to help improve aviation safety in Africa. SITA’s contribution demonstrates our commitment and dedication to the air transport community in Africa.”

From the surveys and face-to-face consultations, key themes on training availability and harmonization across Africa were identified and presented to the AFI Training Experts Working Group. These included discussion on syllabus development, regional coordination and information sharing.

States in the region are now encouraged to make use of the secure online database. Recommendations and an action plan for harmonizing aviation training in Africa were adopted at the Pan-African Aviation Training Coordination Conference held in Cairo, where over 30 African States were represented.