The Government of Zambia and the European Union signed a Financing Agreement for the "Civil Aviation Sector Support Programme II"

On 22 November 2016 in Lusaka, the Government of Zambia and the European Union signed the Financing Agreement for the "Civil Aviation Sector Support Programme – Phase II" (5.6 million Euro grant – approx. 60 million Euro Zambian Kwacha). This programme intends to consolidate the very good results reached under the 1st Phase which culminated in June this year with the removal of Zambia from the European Union's Air Safety List. The second phase of the programme will address t...he remaining challenges in the current institutional and regulatory framework, so as to ensure full conformity to operational requirements of the ICAO - International Civil Aviation Organization. The results expected from the programme include, among others, the strengthened air safety and security oversight systems and air traffic management services brought up to international standards. In addition, key sector institutions will be better prepared and equipped to perform their statutory functions as foreseen by the new Aviation Act.
During the signing ceremony, the Ambassador of the European Union, Alessandro Mariani, noted: "It is of strategic importance that Zambian institutions are adequately organised and equipped in order to comply fully with international requirements and obligations they should adhere to. That is why we believe that our continued support to and cooperation with key institutions and players from the aviation sector is desirable and justified. This is in the interest of continuous safety of national and international travellers and in the interest of the Zambian economy ."

The European Union assistance to the aviation sector in Zambia has already quite a considerable track record. In recent years, the European Union supported the development of airport infrastructure at the Lusaka and Livingstone international airports, as well as facilitated institutional improvements in the aviation sector to ensure conformity with the international safety standards. This has helped in removing Zambia, in June 2016, from the European Union’s Air Safety list, banning the Zambia registered air carriers from operating in European skies.