Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport & Telecommunications Franklin Meyers, will be heading a delegation early next week to Trinidad & Tobago to meet with the Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation (CANSO).
The purpose of the visit is in connection with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) audit carried out at the Curacao Civil Aviation Authority with respect to compliance with international safety standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
The second objective is to look at what services CANSO can offer Sint Maarten, however there may be some legalities with respect to the Dutch language etc, Minister Meyers pointed out.
"This matter is a top priority for me and it has my full attention as well as that of the Department of Civil Aviation, Shipping and Maritime Affairs. Last week I met with Curacao’s Minister of Transportation Charles Cooper and he appraised me and our department with respect to the current state of affairs.
"Every effort is being made to avoid being downgraded from category 1 to category 2; however I must state that a downgrade is possible for the Civil Aviation Authority of Curacao which Sint Maarten has a working arrangement.
"Based on the audit, the Curacao Authority is not in compliance with three out of 18 annexes. The lack of compliance has to do with the shortage of staff at the Curacao Civil Aviation Authority. We can all recall that the aviation department in Curacao lost two of its key personnel who tragically died in the Haiti earthquake.
"The Curacao Civil Aviation Authority is working to comply with those three specific areas, however certain legislation has to be put in place by Curacao and that will take some time.
"The Princess Juliana International Airport is not mentioned in the audit. ICAO is scheduled to audit our airport early December," Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunications Franklin Meyers said on Tuesday.
The Curacao Civil Aviation Authority has until December 14 to comply with the three annexes, namely one, six and eight. Annex one is related to personnel licensing, annex six, operation of aircraft, and annex eight, airworthiness of aircraft.
CANSO is the global voice of companies that provide air traffic control founded in 1996, and represents the interests of Air Navigation Service Providers worldwide.
CANSO members are responsible for supporting 85 per cent of world air traffic, and through workgroups, members share information and develop new policies, with the ultimate aim of improving navigation in the air and on the ground.
CANSO also represents its members’ views in major regulatory and industry forums, including at ICAO, where the organization has official observer status.