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The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has called for stronger coordination and concrete action to address gaps in the availability and dissemination of meteorological information critical to safe and efficient flight operations.
CAA Director General, Captain Derrick Luembe stressed that reliable meteorological information was not merely a technical requirement but a critical component of aviation safety and should reach aviation users without delay.
The call was made during the opening of the Operational Meteorological Information (OPMET) Data Availability Project Stakeholder Workshop, which is being held to assess gaps in the availability, exchange and dissemination of aviation meteorological information critical to safe and efficient flight operations.
The three-day ICAO Augmented Data Availability Assessment mission brings together the CAA, airlines, airport operator, Air Navigation Service Provider and the Zambia Air Force.
“Safe and efficient air navigation depends on timely, reliable and accurate meteorological information,” Luembe said.
The CAA Director General said Zambia’s aviation sector had experienced challenges including infrastructure limitations, coordination gaps among stakeholders and bottlenecks in the dissemination of meteorological information.
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“The engagement must go beyond discussions and produce a practical, Zambia-specific action plan that is time-bound, implemented and jointly monitored by the institutions involved,” he said.
ICAO MET expert, Sammuel Maluta Tshifaro said the mission was designed to work with Zambia to identify gaps and develop solutions rather than simply inspect systems.
“We are not here as police or inspectors; we are here to say, let us move together,” he said.
Tshifaro said the assessment would examine not only the availability of meteorological information, but also the systems, procedures, infrastructure and coordination that determine whether the information reaches aviation users effectively.
The mission is being conducted under ICAO’s No Country Left Behind initiative, aimed at improving the timely, standardised and digital dissemination of aviation weather information, and ensuring critical data reaches pilots, and Air Traffic Controllers.
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