London, UK. Today – CAA International (CAAi), the technical cooperation arm of the UK Civil Aviation Authority (UK CAA), has been awarded a new consultancy project to help the Kazakhstan aviation regulator adopt a new aviation oversight model, based on that used in the UK. The new regulatory system will support Kazakhstan’s air transport sector growth and provide a foundation for Kazakhstan’s aviation industry to become a world player.

The project falls under Kazakhstan’s 100 Concrete Steps national development initiative announced by the First President Nursultan Nazarbayev in 2015, calling for widespread economic, social and political reform. Step 68 specified improving the government’s air transport management system “to increase the attractiveness of air transport through Kazakhstan”.

This is a fundamentally new approach to ensuring flights safety in the country in compliance with the best international practices of industry regulation. This approach is being introduced in the Republic of Kazakhstan for the first time. Оver the past 1.5 years, the Civil Aviation Committee of the Ministry of Industry and Infrastructural Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan has developed and introduced the appropriate amendments to the basic law of civil aviation and 61 by-laws and normative legal acts. Part of this initiative was the creation of the Aviation Administration of Kazakhstan (AAK) that was established in August 2019.

Over the next 12 months, regulatory experts from the UK CAA will assist the AAK to review Kazakhstan’s primary legalization and propose ways to further incorporate EASA/EU provisions and alignments with the UK CAA model. A second workstream will focus on the organizational design of AAK and provide recommendations in accordance with the UK CAA model. CAAi has also been tasked with conducting a Training Needs Analysis of AAK’s technical staff.

Speaking after the contract signing, Mattijs Smith, Head of International Development at CAAi said, “We are delighted to be working with our counterparts in Kazakhstan, and our team is fully committed to supporting AAK. It’s impressive to see Kazakhstan thinking big, and it’s exciting for us to play an important part in the ongoing improvement of its air transport sector. Kazakhstan is located between two huge aviation markets so there is great potential for attracting more in transit connections, as well as expanding its international network. The upgrade of Kazakhstan’s regulatory framework will build the solid foundation needed for overseeing this, allowing Kazakhstan to generate more of the socioeconomic benefits aviation brings.”

According to the Minister of Industry and Infrastructure Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan Beibut Atamkulov, the main functions of this organization are technical control, supervision of airlines and aircraft, and personnel training in compliance with ICAO standards.

«Now the leading European experts of the British Agency will provide Kazakhstan with technical support for the implementation of European safety standards», - Beibut Atamkulov said.

Peter Griffiths, Director General of Aviation Administration of Kazakhstan said, “This agreement will allow the Aviation Administration of Kazakhstan JSC to enhance competence and qualification of its staff, as well as to transfer the best experience from aviation authorities of the UK to Kazakhstan. The establishment of AAK will expedite the transition of Kazakhstan to the international best practice in the field of civil aviation. AAK will provide control and supervision in such an important area as flight safety. Signing this contract with UK CAAi will support AAK to achieve its goal with high indicators over 80% safety level, as per ICAO standards”.

The British Ambassador Michael Gifford and his Department of International Trade (DIT) team in Nur-Sultan provided ongoing support in securing the project for the two parties. Edmund Marler, Director DIT Kazakhstan, said, “The UK is an unrivaled repository of excellence in many spheres, and the adoption of the UK’s model of civil aviation by Kazakhstan shows that the government continues to look to the UK for expertise and support for economic reform. The British Government as a whole continues to demonstrate its commitment to strengthening our relations with Kazakhstan, and we are proud to witness the launch of the new initiative, which will support Kazakhstan’s air transport sector growth and provide a foundation for Kazakhstan’s aviation industry to become a world player.”

Phase One of the project is expected to commence in October 2019. The second phase that involves the development of a five-year strategic and economic sustainability plan is expected to follow.

About CAAi:

CAA International (CAAi) is the technical cooperation arm of the UK Civil Aviation Authority. CAAi provides regulatory advice, training, capacity building programs, and examination services to aviation regulators and industry organizations across the globe. Drawing on world-leading expertise from within the UK regulator, we help organizations design and implement regulatory best practices to comply with international regulatory standards. In 2018, CAAi trained over 2,500 aviation professionals and worked in over 60 countries.

About Aviation Administration of Kazakhstan:

Aviation Administration of Kazakhstan JSC was established as part of the implementation of the 68 the step of the Nation Plan “100 Concrete Steps”. This is a fundamentally new approach to ensuring flight safety in the country in compliance with the best international practices of industry regulation. This approach is being introduced in the Republic of Kazakhstan for the first time. Over the past 1.5 years, the Civil Aviation Committee of the Ministry of Industry and Infrastructural Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan has developed and introduced the appropriate amendments to the main law of civil aviation and 61 by-laws and secondary legal acts. Highly qualified technical specialists of civil aviation were involved in the work of the aviation administration to carry out technical control and supervision of subjects of the civil aviation industry with working conditions commensurate with enterprises in the field.