Implementation of the 68th step of the Nation’s Plan has improved the quality of certification and oversight in the field of civil aviation. As of today, the Aviation Regulator has conducted 927 inspection and certifications in Kazakhstan. As a result of control and oversight activities, 8343 non-conformities were identified, 4 operator certificates were withdrawn, 44 certificates were suspended, and 70 inspection orders were issued.

Moreover, 16 certificates of the operator, 283 certificates of airworthiness, 108 permits for special flights, 190 certificates of state registration of civil aircraft were issued. 20 aviation training centers were certified, certificates of validity were issued for 26 aerodromes and 6 heliports. 3379 certificates were issued to the crew members and 11 certificates of the airport aviation security service organizations. In total, the Aviation Administration rendered more than 10 thousand public services, including 5797 services for issuing certificates to aviation personnel.

Progress has been made in a number of key areas, such as sharing safety data and planning for safety culture implementation. The work program is being completed, which provides for further changes in the registration of aircraft in Kazakhstan for servicing passengers with domestic carriers.

Capacity building continues, part of which includes training for technical personnel, as well as the creation of the IT infrastructure needed to manage a large and diverse aviation industry. During this period, AAK inspectors participated in more than 340 training sessions.

The Sunflower digital aviation regulator was created, based on international best practices in risk management and operational data. A “digital twin” has been implemented for a variety of business tasks, which includes the deployment of a complete risk and performance database of the Aviation Administration of Kazakhstan. Online approval for the issuance of public services in the Business Optix system is applied, the iPRDB risk database has been created. A digital document service was launched at the airports of Nur-Sultan, Almaty and Aktobe.

Today, changes still happen that will bring opportunities in the year of 2024 to register modern aircrafts in Kazakhstan registry. Plans are underway to create a new Aviation Hub on the platform of the Astana International Financial Center, which will become an important step towards transforming flight safety rules in the country.

Within the framework of international agreements, the Aviation Administration of Kazakhstan closely cooperates with the Department of Civil Aviation of Aruba (DCA), the Bermuda Civil Aviation Agency (BCAA) and the Irish Aviation Administration (IAA) on the oversight over safety of flights and operated by Kazakhstani air operators. An agreement was signed last week with the Federal Air Transport Agency of Russia on cooperation in the field of airworthiness.
With the conclusion of new agreements, AAK employees regularly attend international working groups to share safety data, international aircraft registration, COVID control measures, runway safety and aviation security, the results of which are included in the national aviation safety program through legislative changes and sharing information with operators.

Thus, the Aviation Administration of Kazakhstan, together with the Ministry of Industry and Infrastructure Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan, has developed and submitted to the Mazhilis of the Parliament a draft Law “On Amendments and Additions to Certain Legislative Acts on Transport Issues.” The draft Law proposes a number of important amendments in the field of civil aviation aimed at further implementation of the standards and recommended practices of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), as well as the best practices of the European Union and other countries, into national legislation.

Based on ICAO recommendations, 4 AAK orders were issued on the issue of extending the validity of certificates and licenses to support the civil aviation industry during a pandemic. More than 1500 temporary certificates and certificates issued.

The measures taken made it possible to increase the efficiency of control and supervision, improve the image of Kazakhstan’s civil aviation on the international arena. Kazakhstan has an observer status to the European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC), and has also joined the Cooperation Agreement on the Prevention and Management of Public Health Events in Civil Aviation (CAPSCA) and the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction System for International Aviation (CORSIA) and is concluding agreement with EASA.

The Flight Safety Committee of the European Commission notes the progress made by the aviation authorities of Kazakhstan in eliminating the identified deficiencies in the field of flight safety. The aviation administration is committed to introducing and enforcing international standards to continually improve safety oversight.

Overall, significant progress has been made towards the 68th step of the Nation’s Plan, which will be assessed as part of the ICAO USOAP audit scheduled for 2023. International inspectors will analyze the transformation and assess the progress of Kazakhstan’s aviation in the implementation of ICAO’s global aviation safety initiatives. As part of this audit, an ICAO Validation Mission (ICVM) will be conducted at the AAK from 2 to 11 August to assess the progress.

Peter Griffiths, AAK Director General, notes: “The Aviation Administration will continue to apply an advanced civil aviation governance model and will exercise appropriate safety oversight and take appropriate action to develop the aviation industry. Air transit through Kazakhstan is attractive to external operators. We aim to be recognized as Central Asia’s leading brand in safety and best practice in the aviation sector.”