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Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | THE INDEPENDENT | Uganda has left the just-ended ICAO Air Services Negotiation Event (ICAN), hopeful of getting landing rights in more countries as it keeps expanding.
ICAN 2024 that was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from 21 to 25 October, brought together aviation industry leaders from around the globe, with the Ugandan delegation led by Uganda Civil Aviation Authority (UCAA) Deputy Director General, Olive Birungi Lumonya.
ICAN, an annual global event of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), includes Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) negotiations and consultations between states with respect to air services.
At this years event, Uganda concluded new BASAs, reviewed BASAs, and signed Memoranda of Understanding, according to Lumonya.
Before an airline can operate international services to another country, the government where the airline comes from must first negotiate with the prospective destination country, a treaty level agreement known as bilateral air services agreement.
These agreements are crucial in facilitating travel and trade, between Uganda and other countries with planned increased in air traffic from either side.
At the event, MoUs Uganda held negotiations with Latvia, the first of the kind between the two countries, lying the ground to commence plans for flights to the northern European country.
Uganda also got the chance to review its agreements with the United Kingdom, (which in July this year granted Uganda Airlines license to land at Gatwick Airport) and Qatar, one if its latest destinations, as well as Ethiopia.
The Sudan is the latest country to start BASA negotiations with Uganda. Uganda also held separate bilateral negotiations with with India, Botswana and Russia and Malaysia (with the last two being new), while it signed the BASA with Oman.
This has now brought the total number countries with BASAs with Uganda to 57, including 26 from Africa
A BASA sets out obligations and methods for cooperation between the authorities to avoid unnecessary duplication of evaluation, and to facilitate the certification of aeronautical products by the civil aviation authorities.
Currently, Uganda Airlines flies to 17 destinations in 12 countries.
The Ugandan delegation included officials from the Ministry of Works and Transport, Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development and Uganda Airlines.
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