Armenia's Civil Aviation Committee Has Not Been Stripped of License: Statement Released

The Civil Aviation Committee of Armenia has not been stripped of its license, according to a statement released today by the committee.

“Armenia is a sovereign state, and no entity can deprive a state body operating under the law of Armenia of its right to fulfill its responsibilities. From February 3 to 7, 2020, the Committee and two airlines were assessed by specialists from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency and the European Union.

On March 6, 2020, the Committee and the two airlines that underwent assessment received preliminary evaluation results from the Agency, which expects to receive the Committee's opinion on these results to finalize the report. Consequently, the Committee will send its observations to the Agency by April 6.

As previously informed months ago, the European Commission plans to present the Agency's recorded observations and the Committee's clarifications during the hearing of the European Security Team scheduled for May 12 to 14, 2020, in Brussels, to which the Committee is also invited.

Moreover, we have repeatedly stated that the Committee has serious issues with a long history that require significant time and resources to modernize the organization. Serious and decisive steps are already being taken in this direction and will continue.

Regarding the two airlines temporarily stripped of third-country operating certificates, it is important to note that they are only temporarily deprived of the right to operate flights to European destinations and may continue their flights to other states. Furthermore, this decision only pertains to airlines registered in Armenia that operate limited flights to European routes and will not affect flights operated by other international companies.

Additionally, it should be noted that the Committee is working closely with the management of the airlines to find solutions to the current situation.

Attached is a letter addressed to the public of Armenia from Leonard Vicks, Regional Manager of the International Civil Aviation Organization and Chief Auditor of Air Traffic Management,” the statement from the Civil Aviation Committee reads.