MOGADISHU (HOL) – Somalia has refuted media reports that that it intends to hand over the management of its airspace to a foreign entity as the country prepares for an upgrade of its airspace.
Reacting to reports on sections of the media and social media pages, Transport and Civil Aviation Minister Duran Ahmed Farah said the allegation were ‘false’.
“The Somali government controls the airspace, and the rumors spread on social media regarding the transfer of control of the country’s airspace are false,” said Farah.
Amid the allegations, HOL has exclusively learnt that a US based company had floated its proposal to the Somali Civil Aviation Authority (SCAA) to be granted a contract to collect flights and related fees for SCAA.
Currently, the International Air Transport Association (IATA), a trade association of airlines globally is tasked with the collection of the fees.
Vector Airport Systems and Gossamer Crossing based in Washington area sent a proposal to SCAA in 2021 to offer collection of overflight and landing fees at airports under SCAA jurisdiction and ‘other fees as desired by SCAA’ such as customs and aircraft parking.
According to the proposal, the two companies will be entitled to 20% of all revenues it collects on behalf of SCAA. A 1995 agreement between ICAO and IATA handed the responsibility of collecting the fees to IATA on behalf of Somalia.
However, there has been a tussle on fees collection between IATA, SCAA and the Turkish ports operator Favori LLC which was granted a concession by the Somali government in 2013 to manage Ade Adde Airport in Mogadishu.