According to South Sudan’s Ministry of Transport, $25.3 million is needed to finish taking over the air traffic control system.
South Sudan’s airspace has been governed by Sudan since the country’s independence in 2011.
The resolution was the result of a request for funding for the functioning of the Juba airspace control made to the cabinet by Madut Biar Yel, the minister of transportation.
After China Harbor Engineering Company (CHEC) completed the Air Traffic Management System (ATMS), the Council of Ministers decided that South Sudan will take control of its sovereign airspace from neighboring Sudan, according to Deputy Information Minister Jacob Maiju Korok.
“The minister was advised to take the memo to the infrastructure and economic clusters to be securitized so that it could be tabled to the Council of Ministers for a final decision,” Korok stated. “The total amount requested is US$25.3 million.”
“Now that our center is finished, the minister has put $25.3 million on the table so they can start using our airspace for control.We are currently waiting for the money to be transferred to the two clusters, but it is already ready,” he continued.
Taking complete control of the airspace would allow the new country to register airlines and collect fees, according to the deputy minister of information.
He added that the air traffic management system is now prepared for commissioning, having had construction started in July 2020 and concluded in December 2023.
As part of their cooperation, South Sudan and the Chinese government are educating technicians in South Sudan to manage the country’s airspace. This project is known as ATMS.Along with the building of the Juba ATMS center, other projects include the construction of a new operation building and air traffic control tower, surveillance, navigation, and communication systems, as well as the civil engineering and supporting facilities needed for the system, including meteorological facilities, calibration flight tests, and staff training.
Under the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), South Sudan and Sudan inked a three-year agreement in 2016 to administer and control their respective airspace.
However, as per the agreement, Juba would assume command of its airspace territory once it had trained and assembled a skilled team to manage the system, allowing for the airspace to be used for the collection of taxes from all planes.
