Acquiring permits can be a lengthy and tedious process and sometimes causes tremendous anxiety. The fact that a flight can be cancelled because a permit could not be provided on time is a huge cause of anguish for any trip planner, and though rare, it does happen. Fortunately, in most cases there is ample time to acquire them and an outright denial of a permit is the exception rather than the rule. Overflight permits are usually easily acquired and in most cases within 24 hours, though landing permits present a different story.
Time Limits
In most countries, the maximum amount of time a landing permit should take after filing with the respective CAA is 72 hours. However, when all documentation is in place, permits can be issued in just two hours. In Rwanda for example, there are no documents required other than the Passenger manifest. All that’s needed to be done is to fill a form which can be downloaded from their website, scan and send it as an email attachment. If all details are correct, the permit can be issued in a few minutes. The issuing officer in Rwanda is able to receive a permit application on his phone and remotely process it within minutes.
Operators need to be aware that spot checks can be carried out at any time upon landing in Rwanda for documents like the Air Worthiness Certificate which should always be carried on board.
In neighbouring Uganda and Burundi, the story is more or less the same and permits can be approved within four hours of application. It must be emphasized however that this is in cases where all documents are in place and the flight is neither diplomatic, military or other forms that require special consideration.
Operator’s History
The history of the operator at a particular destination also determines how quickly a permit will be issued. Some operators have a history of violating rules or breaking permit validity deadlines which places a spotlight on them and makes it harder for CAAs to approve subsequent permits. It should be noted that CAAs are in constant contact and a violation in one country will be communicated across the region. It is therefore advisable for operators to play it safe and stick to the rules.
Some trip planners also have a poor history of defaulting in payments and failing to submit the requested documents all the time. CAAs regard such planners suspiciously and will take time before approving their permits.
This is why it is crucial to choose a reputable ITP. UAS happens to be among if not the most highly respected among CAAs in the region and permits are usually spared the harsh scrutiny when requested by us.
Online Permits
In Kenya, the entire process is conducted online. Although the required lead time is 72 hours, we have had permits processed within 30 minutes. The system requires that all relevant documents are uploaded onto the online system. The officers at the Air Transport office scrutinize the documents and the applicant is able to track progress in real time. A permit can be returned due to insufficient or incorrect documentation and the applicant is requested to insert the missing documents and resubmit.
The biggest drawback of the online system comes when there is a system failure as KCAA has ‘said goodbye’ to manual mechanisms for processing permits. Such failures are however very rare. Rwanda is currently in the process of initiating an online system as well.
Special Cases
In Ethiopia, because of the border conflicts that exist with their northern neighbor Eritrea, all documents are carefully scrutinized by different departments including the interior security ministry. This means it takes longer to get ordinary permits than with most other countries. The points of entry and exit are very important for both landing and overflight permits.
In Comoros, there are challenges of power failures. The island is served by one power generating station and when it is down for maintenance or for any other reason, servers get affected and email communication becomes impossible. Most government offices – the CAA being one of them – are usually not served with individual generators like most private companies are and so fax, email and all other communication is often paralyzed.
Security
The security situation in some parts of Africa makes it necessary for CAAs to take extra precaution when issuing permits. Applications go through extra scrutinizing with the Ministry of Interior Security and in some cases the Ministry of Defence. This is usually the case for Ethiopia.
Kenya Landing permits for flights originating or making a stop in Somalia can only be issued by the Ministry of Interior.
Diplomatic Flights
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs must get involved with all permit applications for diplomatic flights in the region as is the norm in most parts of the world. The Embassy of the country where the diplomat originates is required to issue notification – known as a Note Verbal in diplomatic terms – to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, explaining the purpose of the flight. Upon accessing the situation, the ministry than advises the Civil Aviation Authority on whether to issue the permit and also organizes any protocol arrangements that may be required for the visiting guest.
Ambulance and Medical Evacuation
These are given first priority by all CAAs and permits can be acquired within an hour. However, proper documentation must be in place. Most experienced ambulance companies always have all documentation on standby and this has never been a problem.
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Yaman Al Husary | - 06/19/2017
Mitch Launius
Instructor Pilot for 30 West IP
Mitch is the CEO of 30 West IP where he is also an instructor providing pilot training on international procedures. With an illustrious career of over 34 years in the cockpit, Mitch has acquired over 13,000 hours of flight time flying worldwide, with over 9,000 hours of this in Challenger and Gulfstream aircraft. He is an experienced safety officer and was also an IS-BAO project manager for a fortune 500 flight department. He has presented on Safety and Operations topics at the NBAA International Operators Conference and the Canadian Business Aviation Association Convention and is currently on the NBAA International Operators Committee and serves as the North Atlantic Regional Lead. Mitch is also a member of an FAA working group on General Aviation International Authorizations and Tabletop Exercises (GIATE). He was recently selected to represent IBAC as a member of the ICAO Personal Training and Licensing Panel (PTLP) and was also recently named as a 2020 recipient of the NBAA Tony Kern Professionalism in Aviation Award for his contribution to the business aviation community.
Henry ‘Duke’ LeDuc
Director Of Operations, Americas, UAS International Trip Support
Duke has been a dearly respected member of UAS Americas team and the UAS global family for more than five years. A safety-oriented, FAA-licensed aircraft dispatcher, he oversees all of the operations of the elite UAS Operations Team. With twenty-five years of experience in aviation overall with more than fifteen years of experience in international flight planning and VVIP trip coordination, he is responsible for the development of the dispatch training program and involved in the strategic development of UAS Americas. With a myriad of rich aviation experience behind him, he has extensive experience in worldwide operations with both corporate and charter environments, including seven years as Operations/Dispatch Manager in an industry-leading, Fortune 500, IS-BAO Stage III Certified corporate flight department. Duke is frequently asked shares his knowledge at major industry events and is currently serving on the NBAA’s International Operators Conference (IOC) Planning Committee.
Dudley King
President and Founder, FlightBridge
Dudley is the Founder and President of FlightBridge, which he established in 2011 and has been focused on technology solutions for the private aviation industry since 2006. Since he graduated from Dartmouth in 1988, he has worked with an array of companies listed anywhere from VentureWire to the Fortune 100. A rare blend of executive, entrepreneur, and consultant, Dudley’s executive roles have included acting CIO positions for several companies and tech advisory services to CEOs trying to rebuild their technology organizations or looking for an external, professional point of view. Highly skilled at deeply understanding his customer’s business challenges and drawing from a long and varied experience in information technology services, Dudley excels at designing technology solutions to solve their problems.
Dr. Paulo Alves
Global Medical Director, Aviation Health, Medaire
Paulo has extensive experience in medical advisory in the aviation industry. As a cardiologist, he provides technical guidance and analysis for MedAire’s MedLink medical advisory service and is MedAire’s liaison with civil aviation regulators and industry associations. Paulo worked with Varig Brazilian Airlines for 23 years, 10 of which were spent as General Medical Manager. A member of the MedAire Medical Advisory Board, Paulo is also President of the Ibero-American Aerospace Medical Association, a member of the International Academy of Aerospace Medicine, a member of the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) Safety Committee, a Fellow of the Aerospace Medical Association (AsMA), and a Fellow of the Civil Aviation Medical Association. Throughout his illustrious career, Paulo has held industry leadership roles including Chairperson of the AsMA’s Air Transport Medicine Committee, President of the Airlines Medical Directors Association, President of the Brazilian Society of Aerospace Medicine and was a member of the IATA Medical Advisory Group from 2002 to 2006.
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