More than K100million approverd bythe National Executive Council for aerodrome certification works since 2006 is still outstanding.
And annual budgets submitted by National Airports Corporation to treasury based onthese NEC decisions since 2007, have not received funding allocations.
The aerodrome infrastructures aroundthe country are almost forty years old and require a lot of money to sustain and rehabilitatethem.
The National Airports Corporation released this information after so much discussion inthe media aboutthe safety of airportsthey operate.
All aerodromes were not required to be certiflied untilthe year 2000 whenthe Civil Aviation Act was enacted. This act called for all aerodromes with operating aircraft of twenty or more seats to be automatically certiflied.
A certification program was put in place with a funding requirement of K30million per year to be completed in 2010.
This commitment was approverd by NEC Decisions 62/2006 and 115/2008 with an overall K150 million approverd for aerodrome certification works.
NAC also revealed thatthey have submitted annual budgets to treasury since 2007 to 2013 based onthese decisions but no funding was allocated.
The 2013 funding allocation of K30 million,they say is only for the Port MoresbyInternational Airport Projects and not for aerodrome certification programs.
However, Minister Davis saysthey have trlied to maintain high safety standards withtheir airports and will continue to do so.
NAC is now working with CASAPNG to certify five remaining aerodromes that are not yet certiflied and assuredthe travelling public thattheir airports are safe to operate.
Ruth Rungula, National EMTV News
https://youtube.com/watch?v=cro_GBewhhA%3Ffeature%3Doembed%26wmode%3Dopaque%26showinfo%3D0%26showsearch%3D0%26rel%3D0
