UN offices in Somalia 2006
| Civil Aviation Caretaker Authority for Somalia (CACAS) International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) assistance to Somalia started in March 1993 with operations coordinated from Mogadishu with UNOSOM. With the expiration of the UNOSOM mandate (31 March 1995) and in the absence of a recognized Somali Government, the United Nations authorized UNDP and ICAO to maintain essential safety services for international air transportation. Since March 1996, the resulting “Civil Aviation Caretaker Authority for Somalia” (CACAS) has operated from facilities in Nairobi, Kenya. By providing safe and economical air transport operations, including flights into Somalia by UN and other aid agencies, CACAS has become an integral part of the international humanitarian and development effort for Somalia, and especially for the UN community. A Mogadishu Flight Information Centre operates 24 hours a day. Air Traffic Controllers provide information to aircraft flying through Somalia Airspace and operating into and out of airports in Somalia. The Centre also provides flight coordination with the neighbouring states. The service coordinates, inter alia, flights movements with adjacent Air Traffic Services (ATS) units (Bombay, Seychelles, Nairobi, Sanaa, Djibouti, Ethiopia) and with ATS units in Somalia. Among other essential services, CACAS provides airport operations training in communications, fire fighting and rescue; assesses airport safety, maintenance and rehabilitation. The mission for the Authority is : “To provide, under the supervision of the Director of the Technical Cooperation Bureau of ICAO, for the operation and maintenance of essential facilities, equipment and services for international air transport operations, including humanitarian and relief flights and local flight operations within the Mogadishu Flight Information Region (FIR - Airspace and ground facilities in Somalia), on a self-financing basis, in order to meet immediate requirements for safety, and to assist in the rehabilitation and development of the aviation infrastructure where feasible provided that these latter related activities are financed from sources other than air navigation charges.” CACAS employs more than 100 Somali national staff in various technical, operational and administrative functions. Contact: |