Cyprus in talks on Civil Aviation restructuring with Eurocontrol

Cyprus and Eurocontrol experts will continue this week their discussions on the restructuring of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) in an effort to render the Authority into an independent body.

Minister of Communications and Works Haris Thrassou will meet on Wednesday Eurocontrol officials. Talks between them will focus on a draft document with views and recommendations by Eurocontrol experts on different models to restructure CAA.

Thrassou has told CNA the experts will outline their proposals and listen to the observations of Cypriot experts, pointing out that any model that may be approved will have to be adapted to meet the needs of the Cypriot reality.

“We shall look into the proposals of all advisers and listen to all interested parties, directly or indirectly connected to CAA,” he explained.

The bill approved will be presented to the Cabinet for consideration and will take its final shape once everybody has been heard, including CAA employees.

The purpose of the exercise is for the Cabinet to take a decision on the matter before the end of the year and then send the bill to the House for final approval.

Thrassou said the ministry aims to set up a regulatory monitoring authority and an independent authority which will be flexible and function away from bureaucratic procedures.

Calls for the restructuring of the CAA were made after an airliner, operated by HELIOS, crashed into the mountain side north of Athens, in August 2005, killing all 121 persons on board, most of them Cypriots.