The Better Regulation Delivery Office (BRDO) expert of the transport sector Serhiy Khyzhnyak thinks that the level of state regulation of the aviation industry of Ukraine is behind leading countries by ten years. In his words, the need to reform this area has been long overdue.
“The level of state regulation of the aviation industry of Ukraine is behind leading countries by ten years and this is despite the fact that we have an effective tool and a mechanism for regular updating of legislation in this area – the initialled draft Agreement on Common Aviation Area between Ukraine and the EU,” Serhiy Khyzhnyak said.
He stressed that the harmonization of legislation would allow not only to improve the Ukrainian standards to the EU level, but also open almost unlimited access to the EU airspace for Ukrainian airline companies.
According to the expert, today the main task in aviation is to start implementing 100 basic EU regulations listed in the annex to the draft Agreement on Common Aviation Area between Ukraine and the EU immediately. For example, the EU Regulation #1008/2008 on licensing of airlines.
“Adapting the licensing of airline companies to European rules is a kind of guarantee of airlines to perform obligations towards passengers. It will allow to avoid situations such as a bankruptcy of Aerosvit, when passengers and contractors have become hostages of company’s multi-billion debts,” Serhiy Khyzhnyak said.
In general, the expert expressed his hope that the new Government and the Verkhovna Rada will have the political will to address these problems and the issue related to implementation of European regulations will take priority for the Ministry of Infrastructure and the State Aviation Administration.
“These regulations apply not only to technical standards, but many issues of economic regulation. Therefore their implementation will contribute the liberalization of the aviation market,” Serhiy Khyzhnyak concluded.
Photo: Dmitrij.shpilchevskij, CC-BY-SA 3.0