The statutory body tasked to investigate aircraft accidents in Papua New Guinea, is underfunded.
It is now creating a policy to ensure that it receives funding every year. The policy will be sent to the National Government to approve, before it goes before Parliament for ratification.
Accident Investigation Commission Chief Executive Officer, David Inau, says the organization does not have the adequate funding and infrastructure to conduct investigations.
“It is an international obligation for the AIC to be well funded,” says AIC CEO, David Inau.
Government departments like the AIC have been neglected by successive governments over the years.
Its functions are only appreciated when there is an aircraft accident, but its role is vital, the organisation is tasked to investigate and find what caused a crash.
The organisation now only survives on administrative funding, in the past, core aircraft investigation funding was paid. They were between K500, 000 to K800,000, but that wasn’t enough even then.
The organisation hasn’t received that funding for the last three years.
Without a well-funded independent investigation commission, Papua New Guinea is in danger of breaching International civil aviation organisation standards, stopping PNG airplanes from entering international airports and overseas flights into PNG.
