AOOA AGM President’s Report

20th April, 2022
Lusaka, Zambia

Ladies and Gentlemen

I’d like to start by welcoming all those who could make it to today’s AOOA, and thanking our membership at large for their amazing support over the past year. I’d like to thank our Executive Committee Members, all of whom have supported the Association and its membership in their many ways. I’d particularly like to thank Josias Walubita our Vice- President, and our Secretariat consisting of Rob Stacey (Secretary), Lindsay Campbell (Treasurer), Gareth Bentley (IT and Secretariat support), and Lutangu Wasilota (our Admin Officer).

My work would have been impossible without all your support, and I believe as a result we now have an Association that is growing in stature and appeal to the aviation community and a broad range of Zambian society as a whole. We should not allow this momentum to be compromised by apathy and a lack of urgency in the AOOA’s engagement with our governing institutions.

So I would also like to recognise the support of our principle partners and their leaderships, including the Zambia CAA and the ZACL (including their parent Ministry of Transport), both institutions with which we have enjoyed excellent relations and achieved progress on a number of important issues and challenges faced by the aviation sector.

With the CAA we have achieved more clarity and functional (purposeful) resolution on 7 out of 9 critical agenda items including the following below (with interpretive agreement in principle on the remaining 2 items):

1. More user-friendly administration of CAA approved Flight Instructors, Designated Check Pilots and Designated Examiners, including proposals regarding provisions fo rationalising appropriate flying training procedures and implementing standards for different types, sizes and scopes of flight operations, in particular for non-scheduled commercial air service operations;

2. Personal Flying Logbooks’ use of decimals;

3. Appropriate application of piston engine manufacturers’ 12-Year TBO recommendations;

4. Provisions rationalising Aeroplane Category, Class, Series and Type Ratings for all Dual-Controlled aircraft (including Airliners) to allow for ratings according to agreed compatible Series (such as SEL Piper PA28 Piston-Engine and MEL Cessna C400 Piston- Engine Series), subject to DTO’s, ATO’s, Owners’ and Operators’ Differences’ Training for Types included in such Series;

5. Proposals for provisions to facilitate the issue of AOCs for non-scheduled commercial air service Operators through the introduction of new Sub-Parts of ZCARs providing for differentiation of AOC Certification Procedures and Implementing Standards for different types, sizes and scopes of commercial air service operations.

With the ZACL we have ameliorated challenging issues relating to airport security and aviation fees’ cost structures, although significant challenges in these areas of concern remain. We have also developed an excellent relationship with the Zambia Air Force which has led to the functional easing of Flight Clearance procedures in Zambia.

I should also mention that we have worked closely with Puma Aviation senior management to guide improvements in their service delivery procedures to the industry in Zambia and regionally.

However, in many areas the pace of progress remains frustratingly slow, and much remains to be done to develop the aviation sector as a whole into the economically strategic industry it should be for Zambia. Accordingly, we plan to continue our own strategic role in working with our partners to address our principle concerns and enable indeed accelerate the changes and improvements most essential for the sector’s growth.

Therefore, in closing I’d like to encourage members and participants of this meeting who are willing to step up and contribute their time to further developing the AOOA as the industry’s stakeholder platform in Zambia. We have a number of nominations for elections of the Association’s Post-Holders and Executive Committee’s Membership which our Secretariat will guide us through shortly during this meeting, and I am aware that many of our current Committee have indicated their willingness to continue to serve if called upon to do so.

It is appropriate at this time to remind candidates who have agreed to stand in the AGM’s Executive Committee elections that the AOOA serves the aviation community as a whole not their individual interests, and are obliged to represent the Association accordingly. I therefore urge our incoming Post-Holders and Committee Members to treat all members, stakeholders, and cooperating partners with mutual respect.

For my part, it has been a privilege to serve the Association for the past 3 years or so, but I am also keenly aware that fresh leadership would be a good thing for us, so I would welcome any new nominations for the post of AOOA President for the year to come.

I therefore wish everyone well in this AGM’s elections, and look forward to serving the Association in one way or another in future as appropriate.

Thanking you sincerely.

Richard Jeffery
AOOA President.