Eritrea and South Sudan have agreed to commence direct flights between the two nations as they both look to develop their aviation sectors.

The Director General of the Eritrean Civil Aviation Authority, Paulos Kahsai, met with the Director of Aviation Safety of South Sudan's Civil Aviation Authority to discuss plans for growing their partnership. According to the Eritrea CAA, South Sudan's Golden Wings Airline has already commenced flights between the two nations.

South Sudan's Juba International Airport and Eritrea's Asmara International are only 872 miles (1,400 km) apart. Given their geographical proximity, the two nations have realized the potential benefits of their partnership. In June, an agreement was signed to establish direct flights between Juba and Asmara, which would be essential for business, trade, and tourism.

Development of aviation in Eritrea

Three days ago, the Kenyan and Eritrean governments agreed to permanently abolish visa requirements for their citizens, which is one of the developments that could boost Eritrea's aviation industry. Asmara International airport (ASM) is the country's largest airport and the only one receiving a scheduled service. It serves flights to and from Dubai International (DXB), Cairo International Airport (CAI), and Addis Ababa International (ADD), to mention a few.

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In October, Eritrea participated in the 41st edition of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) assembly in Montreal, Canada, and was represented by Paulos Kahsai. Speaking about the importance of ensuring safety and security in the aviation sector, Kahsai highlighted the country's safety record, saying that since defining its aviation sector in 2000, no accountable accident has been recorded.

Despite a previous crash at Asmara, the director said there were falsities of defamation to cover up the truth through politicizing the aviation issue. He added that with its internal capacity, Eritrea has built an airport in the port city of Massawa that meets the international standards and that the Asmara airport has been developed by putting in the required infrastructure and providing efficient and timely service.

Paulos Kahsai ended his trip by discussing the mitigation of challenges and development of Eritrea's aviation industry with various ICAO stakeholders.

South Sudan and Juba International Airport

South Sudan only gained independence when it broke off from Sudan in July 2011, making it the world's youngest country. It has a relatively small aviation industry with ten airports that serve scheduled flights and six passenger and cargo airlines that have operated since its independence 12 years ago.

Juba airport is one of the country's two international airports. It handles international and local passengers and cargo. Since 2011, the airport has been undergoing development, seeing runway extensions, passenger terminal expansions, and runway resurfacing.

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Between 2016 and 2019, Juba was ranked among the world's worst airports, according to a survey conducted by The Guide to Sleeping in Airports. Before independence, Khartoum International was the country's main airport; therefore, Juba did not receive much attention. When it started serving as South Sudan's main airport, it was dilapidated and needed significant refurbishment.

Following investment from the government, the airport has seen some minor improvements, including the opening of a new passenger terminal in 2018. Turkish Airlines, Kenya Airways, Ethiopian Airlines, and Uganda Airlines are some notable airlines operating flights to Juba.

Source: Zawya