Sarajevo International Airport
by Zahid Krkic/News
In June the BiH Council
of Ministers approved the restructuring of the Directorate
of Civil Aviation in BiH.However, the CoM BiH failed to appoint
a Director Generaluntil October.On 8 July 2003, the CoM BiH Personnel
Commission released the names of candidates for the position
of Director General and two Deputies. In June, a Commission composed
of five aviation experts(including two international experts) of
the Civil Service Agency, selected the nominees. Then, the CoM BiH
failed to discuss the appointments, despite repeated requests by
the International Community to do so. As a result, the European Commission
suspended the EC/ICAO Institution Building Project. On 2 October,
the CoM BiH appointed Djordje Ratkovica as Director General of the
Directorate for Civil Aviation of Bosnia and Herzegovina; Djelal
Hasecic was appointed Deputy Director General and Head of the Regulatory
Division,and Marinko Simunovic was appointed Deputy Director General
and Head of the Air Navigation Division.BiH now has in place the necessary
and properly organized administrative machinery to supervise its airspace
and to plan to expand domestic management of its upper airspace.
The new draft Law for Civil Aviation in BosniaHerzegovina was
approved by the CoM BiH on 29 July 2003. The law was adopted on
first reading by the House of Representatives on 24 September and
by the House of the Peoples on 30 September. Six amendments have
been proposed.The new law brings BiH into complete compliance with
International Civil Aviation Organisation regulations and practices
and European recommendations, and will facilitate the establishment
of a single Civil Aviation Authority. This will effect a clear
separation between the regulatory functions at State level [Directorate
of Civil Aviation in BiH (BiH DCA)] and operational functions at
Entity level [Fed CAD (Federation Civil Aviation Directorate), RS
CAD (RS Civil Aviation Directorate) and, if necessary, external bodies].Adoption
and full implementation of this law is also a requirement for BiH’s
membership of the Joint AviationAuthority.The new law lays out
the new BH DCA organization to be implemented by the Director
of the BiH DCA.
Hand-over of Mostar Airport Services, run by SFOR, to the civil
authorities will take place when ICAO Standards (mainly fire
fighting capabilities) have been met. This hand-over must be completed
by the end of 2003, when the French DETAIR will withdraw.A Thales
radar is being installed at Sarajevo International Airport and
should be operational by the end of October, when the French military
radar will be withdrawn. Local controllers are now undergoing intensive
training with a view to acquiring Approach Control (radar and procedures)
licenses. Controllers are also undergoing Approach Director/Supervisor
training. They will take over from French controllers and begin providing
air traffic services in full compliance with ICAO Standards. Later
they will completeEconomic Task Force
Secretariat Office of the High Representative for BiH