KYIV. Sept 7 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has enacted a resolution by the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC), dated July 20, 2015, titled “On the measures to protect Ukraine’s national aviation interests.”
A decree to that effect, dated September 4, has been posted on the website of the head of state. The document is effective from the day of publication.
Control over the enforcement of the resolution has been vested with the NSDC secretary.
Under the NSDC resolution, the Cabinet is to urgently approve a plan of preparations for the introduction of Ukraine’s joint aviation space with the European Union and its member states, in particular, by adapting Ukraine’s air transportation laws to those of the EU.
The government also has one month to reorganize the State Aviation Service, to optimize state regulation of the use of the country’s airspace, to improve the functions of regulating air navigation services and organizing airspace, and the functions of certifying aviation businesses and aviation infrastructure; and to oversee (monitor) the civil aviation industry. In addition, the government is to consider increasing the number of state inspectors and improve pay conditions for them and for the persons authorized to conduct relevant inspections on the basis of audits carried out by the International Civil Aviation Organization.
The Cabinet also has two months to approve plans of measures to develop Ukrainian civil aviation before 2020, in particular, by developing domestic and international flights based on projected figures for passenger and cargo traffic; launching new flight routes; optimizing aviation schools and aviation medical centers with the aim of improving the quality of their services and raising the level of aviation safety; and by turning Boryspil International Airport into an international airline hub through measures such as simplifying border checks for Ukrainian nationals arriving in the country and for foreign passengers on transit flights.
The government is also to prepare a new government program on in civil aviation safety, based on international experience, and submit the bill to the Verkhovna Rada for approval; to develop, in accordance with EU laws, mechanisms for providing state support to domestic airline companies to make them more competitive in a liberalized market for air transportation services, and to protect national interests in the civil aviation industry.
