Uganda Airlines has embarked on the process of getting Approved Maintenance Organisation (AMO) Certification from Uganda Civil Aviation Authority (UCAA) so as to reduce dependence on foreign maintenance contractors, this website understands.
It is a regulatory requirement that aircraft are maintained by maintenance organizations approved by Uganda Civil Aviation Authority.
The Approved Maintenance Organisations (AMOs) undergo a thorough five – phase certification approval process to ensure that they meet the required regulatory and international standards in terms of safety, technical proficiency, management policies and airworthiness among others.
According to Jennifer Bamuturaki, the Acting Chief Executive Officer at Uganda Airlines, the AMOs are required to demonstrate these standards and must have at their disposal sufficient materials/spares/parts, tools/equipment, trained, experienced and appropriately qualified technical personnel, self-sufficiency in financial resources, suitable facilities and premises required for the maintenance tasks being undertaken.
Once Maintenance Organisations are certified and approved, they are subject to continuous surveillance and annual audits/inspections by the regulatory authorities to ensure that required standards are maintained.
Bamuturaki says Uganda airlines aircraft (Airbus A330-800neo and Bombardier CRJ900) are currently maintained by foreign AMOs approved by the CAA. “We are in the process of securing our own AMO certification from Uganda CAA,” she says, adding: “We have built internal capability and capacity by acquisition of the required tools/equipment, spares, materials and we have trained and qualified our engineers to the required standards.”
She further reveals that the five- phase certification process from Uganda CAA is ongoing and they expect to be certified as a Maintenance Organisation (AMO) by early next year (2022).
Asked how Uganda Airlines will benefit from this certification, Bamuturaki said: “Attainment of this milestone will reduce our dependence on foreign maintenance contractors and result into substantial financial savings, technology and skills transfer to our staff and the local maintenance and Engineering workforce at large.”