Government of Jamaica

JCAA Hosts Global Training Course

The Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority (JCAA), through its training arm, the Civil Aviation Authority Training Institute (CAATI), is currently hosting an International Civil Aviation (ICAO) Global Training Course in Kingston.

The training programme, entitled ‘Managing Compliance with ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs)’ is being held as part of the Authority’s commitment to maintaining international standards in aviation.

Speaking at the opening ceremony on February 25, JCAA Director General Nari Williams-Singh explained that it is crucial to provide adequate management and technical training to senior and middle managers of civil aviation authorities (CAAs) who manage the implementation of the SARPs.

“The course was fashioned to achieve harmonised implementation of ICAO SARPs, which is contingent upon the competence of civil aviation managers and the support of member countries in reaching the objectives of ICAO Global Plans and regional safety and security groups,” he said.

The Director General explained that the training programme is part of an agreement between ICAO and the government of the People’s Republic of China.“A dedicated project was initiated to develop and deliver training aimed at this core group of managers of civil aviation authorities funded by the China South-South Cooperation Assistance Fund,” he said.“

The goal of this joint ICAO-China project is to develop a blended course that combines online learning with a five-day interactive competency-based training aimed at civil aviation authorities’ management personnel of ICAO member states,” the Director General added.

Mr. Williams-Singh said this is to enhance competencies in leading ICAO SARPs implementation among senior and middle managers of CAAs across the Caribbean region, including Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, the Turks and Caicos Islands, Aruba, and Jamaica.

“As aviation continues to become more complex and technically advanced, the voluntary contribution provided by the Government of China will support ICAO to provide targeted and competence-based training to CAAs in many regions, with a goal to enhance the skills of identified personnel to manage the aviation system in their countries,” he pointed out.

Mr. Williams-Singh said that the ICAO’s global aviation training office will oversee the development and delivery of the project in close coordination with ICAO bureaus and regional offices, as well as with the Minister of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China.

Also participating in the training were personnel from the Caribbean Aviation Safety and Security Oversight System (CASSOS).

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JCAA to Host Symposium at Sangster Int’l Airport Dec. 5

The Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority (JCAA), through its Flight Safety Department, will be hosting a symposium on Wednesday, December 5, 2018, at the Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay, beginning at 8:30 a.m.

It will target foreign operators, contracted ground handlers, and maintenance providers in an effort to advise them of the surveillance and certification responsibilities of the JCAA.

“The symposium will be an outreach to all stakeholders where we will share the perspective of the JCAA, our roles, and responsibilities so that our main priority of safety and security can be maintained at the highest level,” Deputy Director General of Regulatory Affairs, Rohan Campbell, told JIS News.

Meanwhile, the Manager, of Airworthiness Oversight at the JCAA, Gary Carr, informed us that the regulatory requirements for foreign operators are among the topics to be discussed, as breaches of these requirements, have been observed in the past by the JCAA.

Mr. Campbell noted that the event should positively impact stakeholders’ operations, so they can operate successfully and grow.

The JCAA said that through the symposium, it hopes to improve its relationship with stakeholders by creating awareness of the JCAA’s role in its surveillance of foreign operators, which should result in seamless inspections at aerodromes and reduce the possibility of delays and service interruptions.

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JCAA to Host Airworthiness Seminar

As a part of its mandate to ensure the safe and orderly development of civil aviation in the country, the Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority (JCAA) will be hosting an Airworthiness Seminar on Thursday, October 25.

Speaking with JIS News, JCAA Director General, Nari Williams-Singh, explained that the Authority’s Flight Safety Division will be using the event to address issues that the regulatory body has identified through its surveillance and oversight activities.

“We provide some support and guidance to the general aviation community, being the small air operators in the community, and this will be the first of many workshops and seminars that are to come,” he said.

“This one, in particular, has to do with the management of aircraft records, which is an important component of aircraft maintenance requirements. The records need to be accurate and maintained in a particular way,” he added.

Mr. Williams-Singh said the seminar would be comprehensive and would be one way of providing a forum for JCAA Flight Safety Inspectors to interface with industry stakeholders.

For his part, the Manager for Airworthiness Oversight in the JCAA’s Flight Safety Division, Gary Carr, said the event is a training workshop targeting management-level staff as well as persons tasked with the safe and legal release of aircraft to service.

“The topics are targeted at personnel in records management and those who are certified to deal with procedures. It is as detailed as how to do it, when to do it, where it should be recorded; the material that is needed in terms of ink to keep it, because they need to preserve the records,” he explained.

Mr. Carr pointed out that there may be a need to refer to the records for at least two years or longer after the aircraft has been removed from service and that the operators will be trained in the long-term preservation of their documents.

According to the manager, aviation is a highly regulated field, and all requirements must be adhered to. “Our regulations are developed from international standards. So you’ll find that they are similar or almost identical to what exists in other countries,” he explained.

Additionally, he said it is the Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) that are contained in the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) annexes that are used the develop the Civil Aviation Act and Regulations, and that Annex Six refers to the airworthiness of aircraft. It covers airworthiness requirements, one of which is the management of the aircraft records.

Mr. Carr said the sessions will be interactive, and participants are encouraged to ask questions, bring up any challenges or issues, and make recommendations.

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JCAA Commences Parallel Operations at Air Traffic Control Centres

The Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority (JCAA) has commenced parallel operations at the Kingston Air Traffic Control Centre (KATCC).

The operations, which commenced in May, are taking place at the newly renovated KATCC, and the interim facility that has been in use since last September.

The engagement is being undertaken with a view to fully transition the operations to the upgraded facility.

This was disclosed by JCAA Director General, Nari Williams-Singh, during an interview with JIS News.

He noted that the operations had to be relocated following last September’s lightning strike at the KATCC.

“We had, at that time, moved the operations to another facility, which was, in fact, a training facility that we were using to facilitate upgrades to our systems. We have now transitioned back to the recently renovated Kingston Air Traffic Control Centre and… we are about to fully transition there with all new equipment (and) a very modern integrated system,” he added.

The Director General said the renovation was a part of the JCAA’s ongoing modernisation programme, under which the air navigation services infrastructure is being upgraded. The training facility, he indicated, will remain a part of the contingency system.

Mr. Williams-Singh pointed out that the KATCC provides overflight services for airplanes traversing the country’s airspace without landing.

The Director General said the Flight Information Region (FIR) that the KATCC is responsible for “is many times larger than Jamaica’s land mass, and (as such) we have a significant number of overflights.”

He pointed out that air traffic controllers at the KATCC coordinate the movement of all aircraft throughout Jamaica’s FIR and adjoining regions.

Mr. Williams-Singh said the airport towers, on the other hand, deal with aircraft that land at and take off from Jamaica’s airports, adding that there is coordination between the KATCC and the control towers at both locations.

This is done through three radar stations located at Norman Manley and Sangster International Airports and Mount Denham in Manchester.

Mr. Williams-Singh further explained that there are some functions that can be taken over by aerodrome controllers at the airports and that full contingency would be addressed in the next phase of the modernisation programme’s implementation. He assured, however, that the renovations and upgrades have better positioned the JCAA to respond to any issue regarding the provision of air traffic control services.

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Aircraft Accident Advisory

On September 5, 2014, the Kingston Air Traffic Control Centre became aware of the presence of Single
Engine aircraft, registered N900KN, heading towards Jamaica’s airspace. It departed Rochester in New
York at approximately 8:30 a.m. ET and its destination was Naples, Florida.

The pilots appeared to have lost consciousness and the aircraft proceeded unpiloted, at the point at
which it entered Jamaica’s airspace.


Information further received is that the plane went down approximately 14 miles north of the coast of
Port Antonio, Portland.


The Search & Rescue team of the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) Coast Guard has been mobilized, and the applicable Emergency Response Plan has been activated.


Further updates will be provided, as soon as these become available.


The Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority (JCAA) is the statutory organization, which is responsible for regulating Jamaica’s aviation industry and supporting its safe and orderly development.


PRESS RELEASE
Contact: Corporate Communications Unit – JCAA
838-2520/ava-marie.ingram@jcaa.gov.jm

American Airlines Flight 331 Accident Investigation