Preserving and raising the level of safety and security of air traffic, the absolute application of international and domestic regulations and the strengthening of professional personnel are key priorities in the work of the Civil Aviation Agency (ACV), announced its acting director, Ivan Šćekić.
In an interview with the Mina-business agency, he emphasized that regular surveillance activities are underway at aviation entities, common in this period as part of preparations for the peak summer tourist season.
"At the same time, we are working on the preparation and application of new regulations, as well as updating the existing ones, predominantly in accordance with the requirements of the European Union (EU). One of the priorities is the continuation of work aimed at proposing a new Air Transport Act, in cooperation with the Ministry of Transport and Maritime Affairs and other competent departments. It is time to improve the law, and a demanding and complex process will follow, given that it has not been significantly changed for a long period of time", specified Šćekić.
He said that Montenegro is at the very top of the countries of the region, but also of Europe, with a result of 88 percent efficiency in the field of application of international standards and recommended practices of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
"There is room for additional improvement of this result, in which cooperation with leading people of ICAO helps us best", said Šćekić.
He recently had significant international meetings in France, and he also discussed a possible visit to Montenegro with the top of the ICAO.
"That visit would be of great importance to us, in terms of the numerous opportunities that ICAO can provide us with the aim of further improving the Montenegrin civil aviation system," announced Šćekić.
He announced that an important control visit of the European Commission in the field of security to Montenegrin airports is expected at the end of the month, accompanied by inspectors from the CAA.
This control is significant because it should confirm the Montenegrin status in the system called One stop security, which the Civil Aviation Agency implemented with the European Air Transport Conference (ECAC) and the European Commission (EC).
"That status practically means that the security control, carried out at the airports in Podgorica and Tivat, is treated as if it was carried out in the EU countries", stated Šćekić.
He expects this control visit to be successful, like the one in February when EASA confirmed the high level of safety and professionalism of ACV and SMATSA in the field of monitoring and provision of air traffic control services.
"EASA recently confirmed the record-breaking results of the Montenegrin air traffic control and surveillance system performed by ACV in that area, without any findings that could have an impact on the safety of operations in that area," Šćekić announced.
He said that investing in security is actually an investment in the future, and that CAV will continue to strengthen professional capacities and make the control and certification function even more efficient.
Šćekić said that Podgorica could host the next meeting of the Joint Committee of the ECAA Agreement, which he discussed during a recent meeting with the Director of Aviation in the EC (Directorate General for Mobility and Transport - DG MOVE), Filip Kornelis.
Montenegro is one of the signatories of the ECAA Agreement - the Multilateral Agreement on the Creation of a Common European Aviation Area, and the ECAA Joint Committee is responsible for its implementation and ensuring its proper application.
"The meeting of the Joint Committee of the ECAA Agreement in Podgorica would be organized in direct cooperation between the EC and CAA, and we expect the active participation of other countries from the region," said Šćekić.
In addition, during the meeting in France, he agreed on a special meeting with representatives of one of the leading European aviation training centers (JAA.TO) at the beginning of June in Podgorica, with the aim of developing mutual cooperation and improving the competences of CAA experts.
"We pay special attention to the education of airmen, we organize educational workshops and trainings, and the next one will be dedicated to sailors. "Also, in addition to numerous activities, we also support the Maritime Safety Administration in the organization of a national exercise for SAR (Search and Rescue) in civil aviation, in coordination with other competent institutions," Šćekić said.
He added that a donation of valuable funds from ACV for equipment and resources was recently agreed with that administration and the Mountain Rescue Service, which will be important in the event of a need for SAR actions in aviation.
Šćekić announced that, among other things, through a special cooperation program with the European Organization for the Safety of Air Navigation (EUROCONTROL), system improvement in areas such as cyber security and air traffic controller licensing continues.
Šćekić, who has a degree in air traffic engineering, has significant experience and is extremely knowledgeable about the activities of the civil aviation authority at the domestic and international level, and before this position he was the director of the Air Navigation Safety Sector.
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