Country Set Have Own National Air Carrier - AllAfrica.com

Juba — The Republic of South Sudan is set to have its own national carrier if all goes as planned, a government official has announced.

The deputy minister for Transport Hon. Mayom Kouc Malek said plans are at advanced stages for the landlocked country to have her own national carrier. He added that as a landlocked country, South Sudan needs many airlines to connect itself with the rest of the world.

Hon. Malek announced that the government will have 20 percent shares in the South Sudan National Air Carrier, 31 percent of the shares will be for the public whereas the remaining 49 percent shares will go to an internationally recognized aviation company that will operate the airline on a commercial basis.

The deputy transport minister said the government of South Sudan believes in competition and he added that economic and social developments can only take root in a country like South Sudan when there is room for free competition. "We are not going to restrict our airspace to monopolies, we want many companies to come in and compete freely", said Hon. Malek.

Hon. Malek was quick to add that civil aviation in South Sudan to date is still faced with many challenges. He explained that the aviation industry in South Sudan has been long controlled by Khartoum to the independence of South Sudan. He observed that as a result, there are many unworthy aircrafts operating in South Sudan.

He announced that the South Sudan civil Aviation laws have already been enacted. He cautioned that all the aircrafts operating in the country will be subjected to the South Sudan aviation laws.

Hon. Malek further stated that another challenge facing the aviation industry in South Sudan is the state of its airports in the country. He said most of the airports in the country need rehabilitation. "Most of our airports need to be rebuilt. Today Juba International Airport which is undergoing construction is the only airport we can talk of having", he said. He called for support from development partners to help develop some of South Sudan's airports in the other states.

Hon. Malek made these remarks yesterday in Juba at Da Vinci Hotel while officiating at the launch of a new aircraft service provider, Safari Air Limited that has joined the aviation industry in South Sudan. It initially intends to connect the country with itself before going international.