
The Cabinet of Ministers had endorsed the Air Code of Ukraine, Transport and Communications Minister Yosyp Vinsky told the press on Wednesday. Cabinet's press service reports.
He said that the document is aimed at resolving three problems. First and foremost, the code will bring national laws in line with ICAO requirements, and secondly, it will give answers to all questions linked to the audits of airlines. Vinsky said that the document would also resolve the issue of banning flights to Europe and the issue of internal procedures in airports as single economic entities.
The minister also said that the State Aviation Administration would be reorganized into a state institute with governmental authorities within the Transport and Communications Ministry that will receive its own authorities and financing. The head of the institute will be independent in the issue of flight safety, Vinsky said.
He said that a separate body - a national commission on investigating air accidents - would be additionally created. "The independent co-existence of such two bodies is meeting ICAO requirements on ensuring the flight safety," Vinsky said.
A draft air code was drawn up in accordance with orders by governments and a decision by the board of the Joint Aviation Authorities (JAA) on granting Ukraine the status of a candidate country to join JAA.
Ukraine has also become a member of the European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC) and the European Organization for the Safety of Air Navigation (EUROCONTROL) that requires amendments to laws in the field of aviation.