The Air Cargo Malawi Limited Air has bemoaned that the absence of Air Operators Certificate (AOC) for the company is constraining smooth operations of the firm.
The company’s board chairperson Felix Tandwe lamented this in Lilongwe during a roundtable with the parliamentary committee on transport and public infrastructure saying the company has penned government to approve the process of acquiring the permit.
He said: “The biggest challenge we have is the fact that we don’t have an air operator’s certificate. This is a certificate that is given to you in order for you to operate an airline or an aircraft.
“So, we need we need we need that, and we made a submission to government or we’re waiting for is for the approval of government for us to proceed with the process.”
Tandwe added that the aviation company is in need of funds amounting to over K2 billion to inject into a developed business plan.
“What we are saying is that in order for us to persuade government to approve our business plan for the AOC we did an analysis of our business, and the AOC will require that we have in place personnel to manage various positions in the company.
“And that’s why that figure has we have come to that thick. It will be helpful for us because as I said it will make our pricing very competitive. And it also enables us to shop around for affordable prices for the services that we would want offer to our customers,” said Tandwe.
In its reaction, the Committee has concurred with the Company on the need to have a license aiming at boosting its business.
“We have noted that it’s an institution which is operating without an air operator’s licence and that is affecting even the operations of the business within the air cargo model limited but over and above for formula as a country, we are making quite a lot of losses.
“And we have appreciated the need for our own airline in terms of air cargo transportation, but this is not possible to date because we do not have air operator’s licence,” said Enock Phale, the Committee’s chairperson.
