Update on Civil Aviation in Bosnia-Herzegovina

Sarajevo International Airport by Zahid Krkic/News

Since the signing of the Dayton Peace Agreements{1995} the International Community,the BH authorities and population are discreetly and efficiently putting the country back on track,prepering its return to international community.In the area of civil aviation,distinct progress has been made,thanks to proposals and appraisals made by ECAC,EUROCONTROL and ICAO.These complement my own vision ot the situation,having been on the spot since December 2001.In order to grasp the current situation,the reader must remember that the previous state of ear had led international organisations and their military components to take control of BH airspace and airports.In 2002 after a considerable number of complex processes,particularly those which emerged over the Kosovo crisis in 1999,the country is rapidly returning to normal.As can be seen,BH has already regaind its sovereignty over major part of its airspace,responsibility for operating that airspace has been delegated to some service providers in a spirit of co-operation closley resembling that of the Single European Sky.With the help of the ongoing EC/ICAO technical co-operation project,BH is actively prepering to take over the operation and control of its airports in the coming year.It should regain control of the lower airspace{wich corresponds to the upper airspace of CEATS Programme} in 2006-2007.BH will become an effective member of CEATS{agreement signed by the Minister in charge of Civil Aviation,Dr Azra Hadziahmetovic on 14 September 2001} as soon as it acquired membership of EUROCONTROL,wich it should do at the begining of 2003,after having joined ECAC as planed at the end of 2002.Civil aviation sholud appreciate the extent to which the international military structures present in the Balkans worked positively and constructively,despite the successive crises and conflicts which weighed heavily on the last decede of the century.Normalisation necessitated a variety of measures{use by military of civil installations and resources,on-site training of civilian staff by military staff,etc} these were carried out with great flexibility and a genuine concern that all needs should be met{by NATO,SFOR,French and US Air Forces,in particular}.Both the users and the policy-makers are extremely grateful to them for this.The only shadow over this rather optimistic picture remains the closure of airspace over Kosovo,making the organisation of air traffic difficult for both air carriers and for BH in consequence.We hope that a workable solution will be found very soon.Normalisation should lead lead policy-makers to aim for flexibility and realism:the war is over and the risk of overflying that zone are minimal.

Annual traffic in Sarajevo FIR at present stands at around 62,000 movements per year{130,000 service units}.According to our estimates,had access to Kosovo airspace been possible,BH traffic would have been some 30% higher.BH's revenue would also have improved in proportion.

During the course at its reconstruction,BH has been able to reinstate several airlines.The main ones are:Air Bosna wich operates a MD-81{132 seats},a Fokker 27-50{50 seats} and a CASA 212{for cargo}.Air Srpska operates a 60-seater ATR-72.These two airlines have undertaken regular regional service.They also operate European service to destinations as varied as Goteborg{Sweden} and Istanbul{Turkey}.markets which are linked to Bosnian emigration.Altrough their financial situation is far from flourishing,I am satisfied with the quality ot their operations and,in particular,with their concerns for safety.

The regulatory system is still unfortunately our weakest point.The existence of three administrations{Bosnia-Herzegovina,Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina and the Serb Republic} paralysed the progress which should have corrected the deficiencies noted by the ICAO Audit in July 2000.Strong action still needs to be taken within the EC/ICAO Procjet{in a second phase which is being negotiated}.Only a single,minimal Project-Administration and Air Traffic Control-was financed in November 2001.When the EC has finally accepted the proposal which ICAO has repeatedly brought to their attention,international experts will be able to deal with flight safety,airworthiness,flight crew licesing,etc.In the meantime,exceptional efforts are bing made to compensate for the lack of national regulations and of an oversight and control system.Thanks to ICAO and the ECAC Integration Programme in particular,the basis for establishing a proper regulator has been laid down.These first stages,although modest at first sight,should lead to a noticeable improvment in the quality of regulation by the official service.

Sarajevo traffic is,therefore,expected to grow steadily and it is most important to take this fact into account right now so as to be able to cater for this growth.If this is not done,unacceptable and arttificial constraints will limit the airport's performance.With this in mind, an airport plan has been established with the help of Milan Airports.It sets out those needs and improvments to be unertaken which will allow the expected traffic to be handled,even with a single runway.The meteorological situation of Sarajevo Airport is rather singular.At an altitude of 520m,the airport lies in valley near river,surrounded by mountains{there is a lot of fog,ecpecially in December and January}.In winter,the cold period extends for about four months,from November to February,with minimum temperatures which range between -6 C to -25 C.Heavy snowfalls usually occur during the months of December and February.Besides,because of the terrain,landings and take-offs have to be carried out in the opposite directions.High levels of equpments and air navigation services are therefore essential in operating in this environment,which is,in fact,the case.BH must now apply itself totaly to further improving the quality of its service.With the assistance of EUROCONTROL,a modernisation plan is being developed.This plan will complement the existing one,it also covers the replasment of equipment installed by SFOR and in particular a Terminal Surveillance Radar{TAR} when their planned withdrawal is implemented.Since BH is a signatory to the CEATS Agreement,this radar will be particularly useful for the whole of the CEATS area.With the participation of BH in CEATS activities, and its future accession to EUROCONTROL,the replacement of the SFOR military radar promises to be carried out in the safest and most cost-effective conditions.Due to BH's being landlocked, and its surface transport infrastructure {rail, roads} inadequate, its capital, Sarajevo needs a modern and efficient international airport.Its future traffic prospects are sufficiently encouraging to justify the investment needed for this.Joint action undertaken by SFOR and BH to guarantee the smooth transition from military to civil authority schould ensure a fine performance from Sarajevo Airport as a European airport.The airport operator, Sarajevo International Airport, has already made a convincing demonstration of its competency and efficiency.The other BH airports are Banjaluka, Mostar and Tuzla{the latter was closed to civil traffic by US authorities after 11 September 2001.Tuzla airport is US Air force Air Base.We hope to re-open it this year.Those airports have comparable traffic and prospects for the future.

Banjaluka is the capital of the Entity of Reublika Srpska and for that reason is an important centre,both politicaly and economically

When we compare these figures with the existing infrastructures, we see that air transport requirements can be met for next twenty years.The runway and air terminal infrastructures were repaired and reconstructed after the war, thanks to international help.They compare favourably with those found at similary-sized European airports.Particular attention has been paid to the security aspect.The ECAC Evaluation Mission in October 2001 considered that security measures at the airport were of a satisfactory standard.In June 2002, the ICAO Security Expert for BH confirmed that view.The only problems noted during those visits were in the institutional area, mentioned above.
Air navigation equipment and human resources are more critical.The substantial aid the country recieved from SFOR has had the counter-productive effect of seriosly delaying the establishment of national resources.Insufficiencies are being remedied at present, in these areas:
-Radar approach at Sarajevo.An international tender is under way to supply a modern radar on the basis of specifications established by EUROCONTROL.
-Aerodrome and approach controllers.After the certification of 10 controllers at Sarajevo and 22 at Banjaluka, an ambitious and intensive training programme has been launched:six controllers are being trained on site at Sarajevo, and two waves of ten controllers each will undergo o three-month training course at the Centre in Prague, starting respectively in August and November 2002.
The hand-over in Mostar and in Sarajevo is being discussed at present bwtween SFOR and BH mainly on the timetable of the transition. The efforts of BH, with the active support of the international community, will be pursued along the following lines:
-Regulation:it is essential to replace the present, absurd regulatory system, inefficient because divided into three, as soon as possible so as to make it into a more European type organisation.
-Air Traffic Control at airports:efforts being made must be pursued at all costs in order to avoid the present level of performance reached by SFOR from suddenly deteriorating.
-En-route Control:a harmonious way of linking the future Area Control and CEATS Centre must be prepared and documented in order to lead to political consensus.
In conclusion, after seven years of peace and progress,BH is prepearing to take full responsibility for its aeronautical future.Officials and experts in the country fully appreciate the importance of this venture and are acutely aware of the high stakes involved.Nevertheless, significant international assistance is still needed.My greatest wish is that each international organisation and State with an interest in this area should take note of this fact in order to allow BH's transition from military to civil to be carried out as smoothly as it possibly can